


Polaroid

by Skyson



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Daisy's Photo Collection, F/M, Polaroid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 19:00:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11561352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyson/pseuds/Skyson
Summary: A Tumblr-original short story using Polaroid-style photo edits I put together.  Each chapter begins with a photo, and the accompanying story below.Timeline is between Seasons 3 & 4, during those months that Daisy was on her own and Coulson and Mack were looking for her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many of you asked if I would transfer this story from my blog to Ao3, and I have finally delivered. Sorry it took me so long to figure out how to do it :-)

* * *

 

Somehow, she knows about his board. His “evidence” or “research” or “obsession” if your name is Mack and you know what’s really going on there.  
  
How does he know she knows?  
  
Because for the past month, she’s been leaving him little notes. Small pieces to show him that she had been, indeed, close by - and that she was thinking of him.  
  
Photos.  
  
A couple years ago, when they first established themselves at the Playground - sometimes it feels like yesterday, sometimes it feels like a lifetime - Daisy had discovered an old Polaroid camera in one of the offices. Between the two of them, she and Mack returned it to working order. Figuring out how to get alright photos from it was a different story; it was old and finicky, and sometimes the resulting photos were too dark, or overexposed, or varied between a strange yellow or blue tint. They were almost always a bit out of focus, and he remembered that the first few pictures she took were unrecognizable.  
  
She never could figure out what made the camera “wig out” so much and so randomly (those were her words), and they jokingly decided that it was actually an alien artifact, possessed by some unEarthly being.  
  
Maybe it was dorky, but that camera and Daisy had brought a lot of smiles back into the underground base, so Coulson never registered it as SHIELD property and let her keep it as her own. Apparently, she still had it, and the photos she had taken over the years, with her.  
Once a week, without fail, he would find one photo; either tucked away at a scene or, more curiously, added to his cork board in his hotel room. He never told Mack about these photos, especially the ones he would find in his room. And he never could figure out how she was getting in and out so stealthily.  
  
Each photo had something written at the bottom, and with occasional help from Google he realized the notes were usually related to song lyrics. The notes never really added up to anything, she wasn’t sending him one long, spread out code message, but he could sometimes extrapolate. The most recent photo, for example, made him suspect that she missed him.  
  
Maybe he was just projecting.  
  
He brushed his finger over her name - silly, she always signed the photos, as if anyone else would be leaving them for him. As if he couldn’t recognize her handwriting in a heartbeat.  
He didn’t remember posing for this one, he didn’t recognize anything in the photo that told him when it was taken, but the two of them looked happy. He scrutinized his own face in the photo, frowning a bit. He looked content. He imagined that he hadn’t looked that content in quite a while, and rubbed his fingers across the heavy scruff on his jaw. Daisy was making a face, that ever-expressive eyebrow of hers raised slightly. She was up to something. She’d probably caught him by surprise with this photo, maybe that was why he couldn’t remember it.  
  
Later, when Mack returned with dinner, Coulson asked him what “c-u-s” meant.  
  
“See you soon.” Mack had laughed. “Catch up with the times, old man!”  
  
Coulson nodded slowly, the picture tucked away by now, but very clear in his mind. He smiled, just a little bit, and pretended not to notice Mack’s look of surprise at the rare expression.  
  
“It’s cool to be old school.” Coulson replied, his tone just a little bit lighter than it had been. He knew Mack was watching him carefully the rest of the evening, so he ignored his cork board of photos and news clippings until he was sure Mack had fallen asleep.  
  
Then, with almost embarrassing reverence, he lifted up a tabloid front page and revealed the four photos he’d hidden beneath it. Removing the most recent one, he slipped back into bed, gazing at it until he felt himself dozing off, and slipping it under his pillow before he completely fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

 

* * *

 

The third photograph he’d received was overexposed, very light and faded. The blur was odd, too, but they’d long ago stopped questioning the “alien camera”. (Daisy joked that it was an alien camera because it was hers; he was never sure how to respond to that.) He had to confess that he spent a long time agonizing over this one.  
  
What did the hearts mean?  
  
Her comment on it was descriptive, no song lyrics for him to guess at or vague single words to confuse him. Her signature this time, though, was paired with a couple of tiny heart doodles. He stared at those hearts like he expected them to do something; move, leap off the page, disappear entirely - who knows. They did nothing, and he couldn’t figure out what they meant… Or what he wanted them to mean.  
  
The night he had found it, tucked into the corner of his cork board, he’d gone out and gotten drunk with Mack. Well, HE got drunk - Mack had just two beers, and drove back to the hotel. (It hadn’t been a good day with Talbot and his insistence on cataloguing Inhumans.) Being drunk, Coulson hadn’t been crafty at all about noticing the photo and picking it up.  
  
“I don’t remember that one.” Mack commented, as Coulson sat heavily on the edge of his bed.  
  
“You should. You took it.” Coulson replied, focused on the picture in his hands. Mack locked the door and sat next to Coulson, looking at the photo as well.  
  
“Oh, yeah. I do remember this.” He nodded, smiling with fondness at the captured moment, and then looking back up at the board. His smile morphed into a frown as his eyes scanned across all the documents Coulson had gathered. “I don’t remember it being up there though.”  
  
“Must’ve been behind something that fell off.” Coulson commented, knowing otherwise. Mack accepted that, and rested his hand on Coulson’s shoulder for a moment.  
  
“We’ll get her back, Coulson.” Mack promised. As if that was what Coulson wanted. But Mack didn’t know, he was just trying to be encouraging, so Coulson nodded.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Mack squeezed his shoulder and then stood, going about his business to ready for sleep. His bed next to Coulson’s looked far less “crazy conspiracy theorist”. Coulson blinked at it, and turned to look at the board that hung above his pillow.  
  
News articles that proclaimed Daisy’s heroism, written interviews of people who were rescued by her, tabloids that boasted “one-on-one” conversations with “Quake”, and his own half-visible and long-distance shots the few times he was able to take a photo of her.  
Usually by the time he spotted her, he got so distracted watching her that he forgot to take a picture.  
  
She seemed to have plenty of pictures of him, though.  
  
Looking back down at the Polaroid in his hand, he couldn’t help the sudden warmth that filled his chest, proud at what she was doing now, fond of how she held onto the moments of goodness in her past. Their past.  
  
If he pretended to look at it like he didn’t know the two people in the photo, he would think they were holding hands just out of view, best friends who have spent so much time together they started to dress alike, lovers that make the same expressions, always on the same page.  
  
He sighed. He needed to stop getting this drunk.  
  
“It’s okay to miss her, Coulson.” Mack’s was very soft as it floated across the room; Coulson was almost not sure whether he had heard it or made it up.  
  
He didn’t reply as he leaned over to repin the photo to the board, touching his fingers against her face for a moment. He untied his shoes before lifting his feet up onto the bed, too exhausted to worry about changing, and clicked the side lamp off, plunging the room in darkness.  
  
“We should go to Ontario tomorrow.” Coulson announced, and in the silence of the room he could hear Mack inhale sharply in surprise.  
  
“Based on what?” He asked carefully.  
  
“I’ve got a feeling.”  
  
“…Right.”


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

 

His gut feeling was rarely because of his own judgement, at least not entirely. He knows Daisy, he knows how she thinks…sometimes. These “hunches” of his were most often because _she_ knows how _he_ thinks.  
  
The photo tucked inside of the hidden slot in his wallet was the reason he and Mack currently found themselves in the city of Toronto. Talbot wasn’t too keen about the two of them crossing the border at such a time, but Coulson assured Talbot he had sufficient evidence that Daisy would be there.  
  
Talbot, of course, asked to see the evidence, but Coulson made up an excuse that Talbot wouldn’t understand it - it was something he understood because she had been a part of his team for a number of years.  
  
It was something he understood because he was the one who had taken this photo in the first place, and he recalled very clearly the evening she was referencing in her note on the bottom.  
  
“Coffee?” Mack offered, returning to the bench with two large cups in hand. Coulson gratefully took one from him, taking the top off to let the hot beverage cool off a bit.  
  
They were currently sitting in a park a few blocks down from where he knew the Maple Leafs played, and the nice weather meant that there were a decent amount of people milling about around them, even in the early hours of the morning.  
  
“So,” Mack sighed as he settled down next to Coulson, “A day at a train museum? Normally I would love this, but…” Mack looked at him wryly, sipping at his coffee.  
  
“I don’t think we’ll be experiencing the museum this time around,” Coulson replied, casually watching the people around them. No one suspicious. No one familiar. “Maybe you can ask Talbot for some time off.”  
  
“He’d probably grant it, too. Having to babysit your ass all the time…” Mack muttered jokingly, then glanced at Coulson over the rim of his cup. “Sir.” Coulson grinned a little, so quickly that Mack would have missed it if he hadn’t been looking at him.  
  
“You don’t have to call me sir, anymore.” Coulson reminded him, tasting his own coffee. He sighed happily and leaned against the back of the bench, taking a larger swallow now that he knew the drink wouldn’t burn his tongue.  
  
“Right.” Mack shook his head, copying Coulson’s movements and relaxing beside him, eyes on anyone who walked a little slowly or looked over toward them for more than a glance. Coulson had gotten a little more paranoid, now that the Watchdogs were growing in number, and recruiting anyone and everyone who caught their online videos. It could be that old lady walking with her daughter, or that teenager with the huge headphones, leaning against a tree. Mack understood the danger, understood Coulson’s thoughts (even if he thought he was a little crazy), so he followed Coulson’s lead and kept strict watch.  
  
The Watchdogs were openly going after more than just Inhumans, now - they were attacking people they suspected supported Inhumans, as well. More often than not, the Watchdog recruits were just assholes with big mouths, but sometimes…sometimes there were violent ones. And as soon as you didn’t agree with them, or you showed up to stop them, they automatically assumed you were pro-Inhuman.  
  
Mack’s just anti-asshole.  
  
And pro-Daisy.  
  
Coulson snorted under his breath, approving of both of these traits, and took a drink of coffee to pretend he had coughed. They needed to keep both eyes out for Daisy, anyhow. Neither of them knew how she was going to disguise herself this time - usually it was some kind of punk getup with a long dark wig, but Coulson had a feeling she would be changing it for this Canada trip.  
  
Perhaps a short hair-do again, with the bangs, like what she had in the photo that was burning a hole in his pocket?  
  
“Any other clues?” Mack asked, knowing vaguely that Coulson was following some sort of trail, but it was a trail he couldn’t see. Coulson knew that Mack was doubting him. He only hoped that he would keep it from Talbot, at least for the time being.  
  
“None.” Coulson half-flubbed.  
  
Taco truck. Coffee. Old school. Not to mention the ‘taco’ picture itself - that had been taken in this very park.  
  
“Coffee shop, hockey stadium, train museum.” Mack listed off. “How the hell do you get this,” He gestured around them, “out of such little information? This is the largest city in Canada - there have got to be a hundred other areas that match that criteria.”  
  
“I’ve got a-”  
  
“You’ve got a feeling. Right.” Mack finished the sentence at the same time, shaking his head again. “Whatever, man. I’m your partner, and I used to be her partner, so I’m with you on this.” He took a sip and muttered under his breath, “If only something to get you to shave that thing off your face.”  
  
“You don’t like it?” Coulson asked, having heard him, brushing his hand across what he could now call a growing beard. He was a little insulted; he rather liked the freedom of not shaving every single morning. And the grey showed his years, which usually he would grouch about, but right now he actually appreciated looking his age.  
  
“I - ” Mack stopped, and something on his face changed, just for a second. By the time Coulson turned and looked behind to see what Mack was seeing, nothing was there.  
  
“What?” Coulson turned back to his partner. “Who was it?” He looked around, trying to find a familiar face, or anything that would’ve caused Mack to have that expression.  
  
“Nothing, I thought… Damn, I thought I saw her. It wasn’t.” Mack looked genuinely disappointed, and Coulson focused more on the people around them one more time, trying to see if anyone was moving away at a particularly suspicious speed.  
  
“Are you sure?” Coulson asked, almost holding his breath. Hopeful.  
  
Or desperate.  
  
“I’m sure.” Mack answered, going back to his bored gazing around the park.  
  
“Alright…” Coulson relaxed, but stood up. “I’m going to take a walk. Meet you back here in twenty?”  
  
“Yeah, I’ll probably just hang around here. Maybe check out that museum. You know Daisy, she could’ve gone in, too.” Mack replied, and Coulson nodded.  
  
“Thank you.” He said suddenly, and Mack gave him a peculiar look. “For doing this. For agreeing to be my partner. For putting up with my…not shaving.” Coulson finished lamely, and Mack smirked.  
  
“Your ‘not-shaving’. Yeah, that’s what we’ll call this.” He seemed to like that, and Coulson pursed his lips.  
  
“See you in twenty.” He said, turning and strolling down the path, coffee in hand.  
  
The sky was fairly clear, but it was still a bit cool with the early hours of the morning, so Coulson was wearing his light jacket over his jeans-and-a-band-shirt ensemble. Maybe he wasn’t exactly dressing his age, but what did it matter? Most of these people probably assumed he was someone taking a vacation from work, anyhow. That’s how it usually worked. Businessman, or businessman on vacation.  
  
Or melancholic husband with lots of little umbrellas in his drink.  
  
The smell of salt was heavy in the air, the harbor being just across the expressway, and Coulson was tempted to extend his walk. He messaged Mack that he was doing just that, where he would be, and that Mack could meet up with him if he wanted.  
  
Mack asked if he thought Daisy would show up at all today, and Coulson paused, leaning against the wall of a building out of the way of pedestrian traffic, as he thought out his answer.  
  
He knew Daisy would be in this general area, but he wasn’t sure when. The date of the month matched up with the day he and Daisy had last been here, but that was assuming she had meant to make an appearance on the “anniversary”. There was no way to know for sure she would show up today.  
  
Alternatively, he and Mack could simply stop acting elusive, and spend the day walking around this part of the city. Coulson was one hundred percent sure that if Daisy wanted to find him, she would.  
  
And, eventually, she did.  
  
Mack had texted, about a half hour after Coulson had arrived at the waterfront, that he would join him. Not long after he responded to that text, a young woman running the trail bumped into Coulson.  
  
Luckily he’d finished his coffee by now, so it didn’t spill on him, but her hands were on him as she apologized profusely, out of breath, checking to see if she’d spilled his coffee.  
  
“It’s okay, I’m fine.” Coulson assured her, feeling a bit unnerved that this stranger was pressing her hands so firmly against the front of his t-shirt.  
  
“You’re more than fine,” She said, and before he could comprehend that she was being flirty, she added, “You’re cool.”  
  
He held his breath, but before he could get a good look at her, she was too close for him to see. She was kissing him, the warmth of her mouth and the familiar scent of her skin freezing him in place.  
  
“Sorry, I had to,” She apologized in his ear, not sounding all that sorry, and as he stood there gaping, she smiled carefully and then she was gone again, jogging in the direction she had been headed in the first place, disappearing around a corner.  
  
He blinked, and looked down at himself in shock, making sure that had just happened and he wasn’t having some sort of dream. When he looked out toward the harbor, he remembered to breathe again, and he felt a small weight of something in his jacket pocket. Touching it with just the tips of his fingers, as if he feared it would bite him, he then swallowed and smiled, relaxing slightly.  
  
A picture.  
  
“Coulson?” Mack was nearing, and he shook himself out of his reverie. “You alright? You look a little pale.”  
  
“No, I, uh,” Coulson swallowed, pressing his lips together, unable to keep his tongue from darting out and tasting her lip gloss that was still present on his own. “I uh, I saw her.”  
  
“You did?” Mack asked, surprised. Coulson wasn’t sure if he was more surprised that he saw her, or surprised that he admitted to it. “Where?” Mack looked around, but Coulson shook his head.  
  
“She’s already gone, it was just a glimpse… But it was her. I know it. She looked right at me.” Coulson told him. Not exactly a lie. Mack nodded slowly.  
  
“Earlier, what I saw in the park? It may have actually been her.”  
  
“Blonde?”  
  
“Yeah,” Mack sounded half-relieved. “Yeah. So, did she say anything?”  
  
“No,” Coulson swallowed again, his heart suddenly beating fairly hard. “But I know which direction she was headed. Maybe we’ll hear something.” Mack nodded again, and Coulson gathered himself, getting into mission mode.  
  
“You think she’s here for an Inhuman?” He asked, and Coulson shrugged, starting to walk down the trail, following Daisy’s footsteps. He tossed away his empty coffee cup at the next garbage bin they neared and casually slipped his hands into his pockets, holding onto the unknown photo tightly.  
  
“I hope so, because I’d rather not deal with another Watchdog mess today.” Coulson replied, truthfully. He was still thinking about her kissing him, trying to recreate the feeling of her lips against his. It had happened so quickly, he hadn’t quite gotten the chance to comprehend it.  
  
But it was good. He knew that much. It was very good.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

 

Unlike the others, the photo she had slipped him in the park was incredibly worn, as if it had been handled quite often, carried around in a pocket.  
  
 _My favorite picture of you._  
  
He, again, got that inexplicable warm feeling in his chest as he read those words. This photo he kept with the ‘taco’ photo, tucked inside of his wallet. Mack didn’t know about this one, just as he didn’t know about most of the others.  
  
It felt different, now, though; hiding these photos from Mack. At first, it had felt like he was lying to his partner, keeping a secret from SHIELD, playing his own angles until he could figure out a way to bring Daisy in safely. Now, it was like some sort of tryst. Now Coulson was looking at all of their past communication with a critical eye, with a different view, trying to find any clue that she had any sort of romantic feelings for him.  
  
What an idiot.  
  
Him, obviously, not her.  
  
He was so blatant, wasn’t he? She seemed to have figured it out before he did, and now he was embarrassed by his ‘Daisy Board’ for a whole slew of new reasons.  
  
And if Mack had called him ‘obsessed’ before, now he was downright…mad. He was going mad, that was all he could say about it. He was dreaming that she snuck into the room at night, while the both of them were asleep. He was waking up with the taste of her on his lips. His heart was threatening to beat right out of his chest any time he overheard someone talking about Quake.  
  
She had kissed him. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. Numerous women have kissed him over the years, but never had it effected him like this.  
  
He thought tirelessly about whether or not she had feelings for him. This worn photo proved it, didn’t it, with it’s inscription and it’s well-loved feel. Or was he just hoping? Maybe the photo had actually been in the bottom of her bag, or something, and she’d only just recently come across it again.  
  
No, that wasn’t right. It would have more deep creases in it if it was left in the bottom of a bag.  
  
But if this was her favorite photo of him, why did she give it to him? Why did she not keep it for herself? Was she in danger, danger she wasn’t sure she would survive?  
  
“Coulson, seriously. You’re going to wear a hole through the floor.” Mack spoke around his Chinese take-out dinner, chopsticks in the air halfway between the box in his hand and his mouth.  
  
“Sorry.” Coulson apologized, stopped pacing, and sat down in the chair at the window. It was too dark outside to see much, but it was also quiet enough here that any human movement on the sidewalks below would warrant a look through the binoculars.  
  
“You’re onto something.” Mack acknowledged. “You gonna tell me what it is?” He continued eating, but his tone suggested that he wasn’t going to let it go this time.  
  
“Not…yet. Not until I’m sure.” Coulson told him, and Mack snorted.  
  
“Since when have the two of us run on a hunch you were _sure_ about?” Mack protested, and Coulson had to admit that he had a point.  
  
“This is serious.” Coulson informed him, making sure to look him in the eye. Mack seemed to pick up on the gravity of his tone, and nodded.  
  
“Where are we going, next?” Mack asked.  
  
“Nowhere.” Coulson answered, and Mack raised his eyebrow.  
  
“We’re staying here?” He wondered dubiously. “We’ve already taken care of the Inhuman earlier today. Did you get new Intel on another one?”  
  
“No. And _I’m_ going to stay here. You’re going back to base.” Coulson told him, and Mack immediately put down his chopsticks.  
  
“No way. I’m your partner, I’m not just going to leave you alone when the Watchdogs have your face in their files.”  
  
“I can take care of myself.” Coulson muttered, looking out the window. The streets were still quiet and empty. “This hotel has been a secure safe zone for decades, and I’ve stayed here before. It’s a quiet town.”  
  
“So why do you want to stay here?” Mack pushed, his tone knowing.  
  
“Mack…”  
  
“Are you working with her?”  
  
“What?” Coulson almost laughed.  
  
“Come on, man, like any of us would be surprised,” Mack scoffed. “Talbot already suspects you’re working with her, anyway. Why do you think I’m shadowing you all the time?”  
  
“I thought you cared.” Coulson joked, frustrated that his own people didn’t trust him. Then again… He hadn’t been very encouraging on that front lately, had he? “I’m not working with Daisy. I’m trying to find her.”  
  
“See, I get that, being here with you on the line and all that. But the thing is, we _have_ found her. Multiple times. And sometimes I have no idea how your hunches always seem to run true; frankly it’s freaking me out a little bit. You can’t tell me I don’t have reason to be suspicious.” Mack pointed out. “Plus, ever since that run-in at the park in the city, you’ve been weirder than usual.”  
  
“Weirder than usual.” Coulson repeated. “Gee, thanks.”  
  
“You can’t joke your way into persuading me this time, Coulson. I’m not leaving you here alone.” Mack said firmly, and Coulson sighed heavily.  
  
“I think she wants to meet with me.” Coulson admitted, though he was thinking more along the lines that he _hoped_ she would meet with him. “I’m not so sure she would do that if I wasn’t alone.”  
  
“I was her partner, Coulson. I would give her the opportunity to talk.” Mack insisted.  
  
“It won’t do if both of us are compromised, Mack.” Coulson told him quietly, and Mack raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
  
“Are you admitting to me you’re compromised? …You know that Talbot only let you lead this operation because I argued my ass off to persuade him that you _weren’t_ too attached.” Mack said, and Coulson snorted.  
  
“Talbot has known I was too attached to Daisy since the first time he met her.” Coulson muttered, picking up the binoculars just to have something to do instead of looking at Mack’s face.  
  
“Shit, Coulson.” Mack sighed. “You need to take a break.”  
  
Coulson pursed his lips, bristling a little, but he knew Mack had a point. He hadn’t really stopped in the past two and half years, and he was starting to feel it.  
  
“Look, I’ll… I’ll hang back. I’m not leaving you alone in this town, but I’ll get my own room. Do my own thing for a couple of days. But I’ll keep watching your back.” Mack conceded, and Coulson looked at him gratefully, suddenly feeling very tired. Existentially tired, almost.  
  
“Thank you,”  
  
“Promise me you’ll take it easy. Take these few days off. Have some fun, eat at those weird gastropubs you like. Explore the history museums. Whatever.”  
  
“I knew you cared.” Coulson smiled lightly, and Mack chuckled.  
  
They finished their dinner, the weight of the room a little less heavy now, and as Coulson cleaned up the garbage afterwards, Mack started packing up his bag.  
  
“It’s those photos, isn’t it?” Mack asked suddenly, as he was securing up the strap on his duffel. Coulson looked up in surprise, a cold feeling creeping through his veins. Mack must’ve been figuring things out as he’d been packing. “The ones from her camera. They’re not just collections from base, they’re from her, aren’t they? She’s sending them to you?”  
  
“There isn’t any telling information in them, Mack. I’ve checked.” Coulson answered resignedly. Mack shook his head, something bright in his eye.  
  
“There’s plenty of telling information there, I think.” Mack replied. He shook his head, hesitated by the door. “How does she always know where we are? Every time? And yet we’re only guessing with her.”  
  
“She’s good.” Coulson said, smiling, clearly proud. Mack looked at him for a moment, amused, a little perplexed.  
  
“I should have known.” He said, and Coulson’s smile dropped.  
  
“Known what?” He asked quickly. Mack huffed shortly, hoisting his duffel up onto his shoulder.  
  
“She talked about you all the time. I thought you were like her mentor or something.”  
  
“Was I?” Coulson wondered, inwardly cringing at his hopeful tone.  
  
“That isn’t it at all, is it?” Mack said, opening the door, and suddenly Coulson didn’t want him to leave just yet.  
  
“Isn’t what? What is it?” Coulson wanted to know, asking too quickly, sounding too desperate.  
  
“Nah, man, I ain’t gonna rat on my girl like that.” Mack shook his head. “If you’re right, if she wants to meet with you, you’re just going to have to ask her.”  
  
“Mack,” Coulson started, putting on his 'Director’ tone, but Mack was gone, the door clicking shut behind him. He pursed his lips, putting his hands on his hips.  
  
“You think I’m going to relax and take a break now?” Coulson asked the door.  
  
It didn’t answer.


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

 

As asked, Fitz shipped over the small box of polaroids Daisy had left behind. (Successfully finding the box, Fitz had assumed the memories were too raw for her, and she’d left them all tucked away in that box under her bed, but Coulson now knew she’d taken a chosen few along with her.)  
  
As soon as the concierge passed the package to him, he nodded his thanks and started opening the sealed container, kicking the door shut behind him with his foot. He carefully pulled out the cardboard shoe box and dropped the now empty shipping container onto the floor, sitting cross-legged on the bed, resting the shoe box in front of him.  
  
He hadn’t opened it yet when his phone beeped, and he knew it was Mack checking in from across the hall.  
  
 _-Is it from her?  
-No it’s a request from Fitz. Come on over and help me go through it.  
-Man, I thought I told you to take a break?  
-Please?_  
  
Two minutes went by before Coulson’s phone went off again.  
  
 _-You better have pants on._  
  
He looked down at his boxer briefs, and then there was a quick knock on his door before the key lock beeped. He’d told Mack to keep the other key to this room in case of emergency.  
  
“Dude. Pants.” Mack complained, shaking his head as he made sure the door shut behind him.  
  
“I just got your text.” Coulson pointed out, getting to his feet and hunting through his duffel for a clean pair of trousers.  
  
“You answered the door in your underwear?” Mack wondered, eyebrow raised in amusement.  
  
“What?” Coulson asked innocently.  
  
“I’m sure Ms. Front Desk has had a great morning,” Mack teased, rolling his eyes, and Coulson grinned a little.  
  
“Agent Gretley is a happily married woman, Mack. And known for her discretion, so trust me, the guys back at base will _not_ be hearing about the crazy old Director answering doors unshaven and half naked.”  
  
“Too bad. I’m sure it’d get a laugh out of Fitz.” Mack chuckled at Coulson’s expression, and pulled the desk chair over near the end of the bed. “So what do we got?” He asked, “Daisy’s photo collection?”  
  
“Yeah. I’ve been wondering if we might be able to find any clues on the older photos.” Coulson told him, taking the opportunity to change his shirt, as well. He put on one of his collared shirts, rolling up the sleeves and leaving the top few buttons open.  
  
“You don’t think the photos she took with her are all the clue-worthy ones?” Mack asked pointedly, and Coulson shrugged.  
  
He wasn’t necessarily looking for clues for her whereabouts or plans, anyway. He was looking for something else.  
  
“Worth a shot, isn’t it?” He replied, returning to his cross-legged position on the bed, across from Mack, the shoe box between them. Mack gestured he do the honors, and Coulson pulled the lid off, setting it to the side where it wouldn’t get crushed.  
  
“Camera’s still there.” Mack said needlessly, as they both could see it was sitting right on top, nestled among piles of photos. Mack whistled quietly. “I didn’t realize she took this many. Where’d she get all that film?”  
  
“Probably found a contact online. You know her.” Coulson replied distractedly, moving to set the camera on top of the box lid.  
  
They spent most of the rest of the day sifting through the box, organizing the photos into piles based on who was featured in the photo, Coulson jotting things down in a small notebook every now and then. By dinnertime, they’d gone through the box, and in Mack’s eyes they hadn’t discovered anything of note. He started to return the photos to the box, but Coulson waved him out and insisted he use what was left of the daylight and go out and have some fun.  
  
“Wait,” Mack said before getting up, “Just in case you shave all that off before she sees you, got to have something for Tremors,” Mack lifted the camera to his eye just as Coulson turned his head to give him a wry look. The photo printed out and Mack shook it as he set the camera back inside the box. “There we go,” Mack grinned, and pulled a pen out of the end table drawer between the beds, scribbling something on the photo before setting it atop the pile he had started to return to the box.  
  
“What’d you write?” Coulson wondered, leaning over slightly, but Mack pulled the box further away and put the lid back on it, patting it before getting to his feet.  
  
“No worries.” Mack yawned. “I’m out. See you downstairs for breakfast?”  
  
“Yeah. Thanks for the help today.” Coulson said, and Mack nodded.  
  
“Don’t worry too much, alright? You’re supposed to be taking a break.” Mack reminded him, raising his eyebrow slightly as he stepped out the door.  
  
“Got it.” Coulson saluted him, and Mack’s laugh faded away as the door shut and Coulson was left alone in the room. He sighed, looking at all the photos that were still strewn about him on the bed.  
  
Not planning on going out, he removed his trousers in early preparation for bed, and of course a minute later there was a quick but light knocking on the door. Coulson rolled his eyes; Mack had probably left something behind.  
  
“Not even a warning text telling me to put some pants on, this time?” Coulson said as he opened the door, trailing off as he realized it was not Mack at the door.  
  
“I -” Daisy stood there, surprised, amused, and then looked him up and down. “I have a _lot_ of questions about that, but, can I come in before Mack sees me?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Coulson quickly opened the door wider and stepped aside, glancing at the closed door across the hall. It didn’t open, so he guessed she successfully missed any moments Mack may have looked through the peephole of his door. (Coulson did appreciate how diligent his partner was about watching his back, but, really?)  
  
He shut and locked the door after she moved further into the room, and then grimaced when he turned to find her gazing at the semi-organized mess of photos on his bed.  
  
“Did you steal my photos out from under my bed?” Daisy asked slowly, approaching the bed but not touching anything yet.  
  
“I had Fitz get them.” Coulson said, taking a step closer, then hesitating. “He’s the only one who knows where they were. I swear.”  
  
“Yeah, _now_. I don’t know how many times I had to change my hiding spot because everyone kept finding it, taking new pictures, writing on older ones…” She trailed off suddenly, sounding embarrassed (which is understandable, now that he’s seen some of the things both Hunter and Trip had written on her pictures of him). “How did _you_ know where they were?” She demanded, turning toward him with her eyebrow raised. He shrugged, shuffled a bit.  
  
“I know you.”  
  
She looked him up and down again, more slowly this time.  
  
“Can I ask about the pants?” She wondered, and Coulson folded his hands together in front of him.  
  
“I sleep in my boxers.” He explained defensively, and she laughed.  
  
God, how his heart beat at that sound.  
  
“I’m not keeping you up, am I?” She asked softly, sounding genuinely worried that she might be, even though the hour was still a bit early to be sleeping.  
  
“No more than usual,” He said under his breath, reaching for his trousers that had been thrown on top of his duffel bag.  
  
“Usual is quite often, isn’t it,” Daisy replied knowingly, her eyes back toward the photos on his bed, reaching down to pick one of them up. She smiled at it, remembering it’s history. “Remember when we,” She started, turning toward him, and stopped suddenly again when she saw him half stepped into his trousers. “What are you doing?”  
  
“I’m…putting pants on?” He answered. She huffed, eyes lingering before she turned back toward the bed.  
  
“Don’t feel you have to for my account,” She replied, and he felt his ears grow warm. “Do you remember when we had that stint in Hawaii?” She asked, somewhat rhetorically, referring to the photo in her hands.  
  
He knew it was that picture of her, Trip,and Hunter, but he was still debilitating with one foot in a pant leg and the other out. She turned back around when he was quiet for longer than she expected.  
  
“What are you _doing_?” She asked again, sighing, looking at him as if he were a three year old that had his underwear on his head.  
  
Might as well be, anyhow.  
  
“I don’t know!” He blurted, flustered. Daisy pursed her lips, frowning slightly.  
  
“I’m sorry I kissed you.” She told him, and his eyes widened.  
  
“You’re _sorry_?”  
  
“Well,” she amended, “I’m not sorry I kissed you, but I’m sorry it’s made you so,” she didn’t find the word for it, and simply gestured around the room - particularly at his trousers pooled at his feet.  
  
He grunted in frustration and kicked them away, running a hand through his hair and propping the other hand on his hip, starting to pace. His mind was all over the place, and he had hoped that seeing her - speaking to her face-to-face - would have cleared things up. It only seemed to make it worse. Daisy watched him in silence for a moment; he figured he must look like a completely different person to her.  
  
“I like the beard.” She commented. He paused long enough to narrow his eyes toward her suspiciously. “What?”  
  
“Mack makes a big deal out of it.” He told her.  
  
“I can understand why.” Daisy replied, and he paused again.  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Four and a half years and I’ve never seen anything more than a day’s worth of stubble on your face. That beard is really something. Did he come up with a nickname for it?” Daisy asked the last question as if it had just come to her, and she smiled. Coulson cocked his head slightly at her.  
  
“Yes.” He finally answered, but didn’t tell her what it was. It was embarrassing, and thankfully Mack only used it occasionally, and only in Coulson’s presence.  
  
“So what are all these for? Why’d you have Fitz raid my room?” Daisy asked, setting the photo back onto the bed exactly where she’d picked it up from. The piles did have a pattern to them, and she appeared to have figured that out.  
  
“I was looking for clues.” Coulson replied, stopped pacing, and moved to the side of the bed. He touched one of the piles; it was primarily pictures of her, including a few shots where she appeared to be the focus but wasn’t the only subject. He’d sorted out each pile like this, and he’d found something that could be definitive…or could just be a fluke.  
  
“Clues for what?” Daisy asked curiously. “A lot of these were taken a couple years ago… certainly the comments written on them were written before I ever expected to leave SHIELD.”  
  
Coulson flinched, and she seemed to regret her choice of wording. She didn’t correct herself, though.  
  
They both knew that the odds of her coming back were slim, especially with Talbot’s plans, the Accords, the mess with the Watchdogs, and not to mention the rest of the media.  
  
“Why did you kiss me?” He demanded instead, desperation behind his tone, not anger. “Was it a distraction? So you could slip me that photo and get away before Mack showed up?” Okay, that sounded a tiny bit angry.  
  
“It wasn’t that.” Daisy assured him, though she wouldn’t look him in the eye.  
  
“Then what was it?” He asked firmly.  
  
“Because I miss you.” She threw her hands up into the air. “Because there’s a lot I want to say to you but I didn’t have the time just then. Because you looked…sad.” She looked at him in that way she did when he felt like she was seeing into his soul. “Because I wanted to.”  
  
“You wanted to.” He repeated.  
  
“The beard was unexpected.” She admitted, looking at his jaw.  
  
“Do you love me?” Coulson asked, straightforward, and she let out a heavy breath, looking pained, and turned her gaze away from him.  
  
“Coulson…”  
  
“Just tell me.”  
  
“It’s not that easy.” She insisted, and he nodded.  
  
“Oh, I know. Trust me.” He replied, and she focused toward him again. “I know. But I’ve also got a whole bunch of pictures here and there’s a pile that’s pretty obviously much larger than any of the others, and - and there’s,” He picked up a handful from said pile, tossing them back down as he glanced at each one, “Words, and hearts, and, and,” He realized his hand was shaking, and he dropped the rest onto the bed, clenching his fists by his sides.  
  
“Coulson,” Daisy said soothingly, stepping toward him.  
  
“ _God_ , Daisy,” He almost sounded pissed off, reaching for her, mouths slamming together. She grabbed his arms to steady herself from the unexpected kiss, but she didn’t push him away. He put everything in that kiss - his frustration, his confusion, his love. He loved her, God he loved her, so much it _hurt_ ; ached deeper than any other thing he’d ever experienced. Now that he realized it, he couldn’t fathom _not_ loving her.  
  
He felt her hands slide up to his neck, against the back of his head, trying to pull him impossibly closer. She opened her mouth, kissing him deeply, kissing him with sudden desperation that matched his own. He moaned, the sound ending with more of a whimper, and he had to pull his lips away from her, getting too overwhelmed.  
  
His eyes were still closed as he tried to catch his breath, but he felt her fingers brush lightly through the short hair of his beard, her mouth gentle against his parted lips, soothing, like she was unable to stop now that they started.  
  
“I do love you.” She whispered, her voice catching. “I think I may have always loved you. But I didn’t figure it out much earlier than you did.”  
  
“Daisy,” He crooned, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly against him. She returned the gesture, resting her head against his shoulder, face turned toward his neck. He wasn’t sure what else to say, there were so many words fighting in his head to be said, so he just repeated her name again as he held her.  
  
After a while, she lightly pushed him back, toward the empty bed, and he sat down on the edge of the mattress. He looked up at her as she trailed her fingers against his jaw, and curled his own fingers tightly around her hips when she straddled his lap.  
  
She pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead, and his nose, before moving to his lips again. They kissed much slower this time, exploring, and he sifted his fingers through her hair as she draped her arms over his shoulders. She shifted, sitting fully against him now, her weight warm and comforting and arousing all at once.  
  
“Daisy,” he whispered suddenly, when they paused for air. She met his gaze, saw the fear in his eyes, and cupped her hands around the back of his neck.  
  
“It’s alright. We don’t have to do anything more than this,” She assured him, brushing against the ends of his hair in a calming gesture.  
  
“I want to.” He told her, and she nodded and smiled down at him.  
  
“Me, too.” She promised. “But we don’t have to right now.”  
  
He nodded, grateful. There was so much going on inside of his mind right now, he was still overwhelmed.  
  
They sat like that for a moment, just looking at one another, stroking each other’s hair.  
“Not really blonde,” Coulson mused, pulling lightly at the ends of her hair. It was shorter than last time, though. Probably made it easier to tuck beneath a wig.  
  
“It’s a little blonde.” She conceded. He nodded, still fascinated with her hair, but he did catch the smile on her face.  
  
“What?” He asked defensively.  
  
“Nothing,” She shook her head, still grinning. “It’s just, I can kiss you now. Basically whenever I want.”  
  
“Not _exactly_ whenever you want,” He corrected, thinking of Mack always being around, and her being on the run.  
  
“How often do you think I want to kiss you?” She wondered coyly, raising her eyebrow.  
  
“Probably at least as often as I want to kiss you.” Coulson answered honestly, his eyes dropping toward her lips.  
  
“Smooth, Charm School.” She muttered, before kissing him again.  
  
Just because they weren’t going to have sex didn’t mean they couldn’t make out for a little bit longer.  
  
Coulson smiled against her lips.


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

 

“Holy hell, what happened last night?” Mack asked him quietly as they stood next to each other at the breakfast buffet, preparing their plates.  
  
“What?” Coulson asked, raising his eyebrow. He knew for a fact that there was no trace of Daisy anywhere (he’d painstakingly checked) on him or in the room, and he was wearing clean clothes, and he was freshly showered.  
  
“You _shaved_.” Mack exclaimed, still quietly enough that the few other patrons awake this early couldn’t hear their conversation. “No more Beard of Sorrow!” Mack sounded disappointed, for all his ‘complaining’ about the beard previously. Coulson glanced around furtively, frowning toward Mack.  
  
“Stop calling it that!” He hissed, embarrassed. No one had heard, but still. “It’s not like I shaved it all off. There’s still some scruff,” He muttered lamely, stepping around Mack to reach for an apple.  
  
“Did you find something with the photos?” Mack asked as they found a small table next to one of the windows.  
  
“I’m supposed to be taking a break, remember?” Coulson pointed out wryly, blowing across his cup of coffee before taking a sip.  
  
Mack nodded, approving of Coulson’s answer. They ate in silence for a while, until Coulson realized that Mack was looking at him with an odd expression on his face.  
  
“You look different.” Mack commented after Coulson narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him.  
  
“You’ve gotten too used to the beard.” Coulson rolled his eyes, turning his gaze toward the window. He could see from the corner of his eye that Mack was shaking his head thoughtfully.  
  
“Nah, man. It’s something in your eyes.”  
  
Was it written all over his face? Just how hopelessly in love he was with Daisy Johnson?  
  
“You got some sleep last night, didn’t you?” Mack guessed, smiling. “See, I told you you needed a break.”  
  
“Slept better than I have in…months.” Coulson admitted, relaxing. It was fine, he wasn’t as much of a disaster as he thought he was. His eyes caught movement of a car turning into the parking lot, and he slowly dropped his fork to his plate as he realized that he recognized it.  
  
“What’s wro…” Mack’s question trailed off as he followed Coulson’s gaze. “Is that _Lola_?”  
  
“Shit,” Coulson muttered, getting to his feet.  
  
“How the hell did she get Lola?” Mack asked incredulously, getting to his feet as well.  
  
“I, uh, I let her borrow her,” Coulson told him distractedly, hurriedly tossing his breakfast trash in the bin, moving toward the front doors of the hotel.  
  
“You let her _borrow her_?” Mack repeated, following after him. “I - damn, I really want to rag on you about that, but - what’s she doing here? Why’s she out in the open like this?”  
  
“I _don’t know_ ,” Coulson hissed, getting a little annoyed at both Mack and Daisy.  
  
She got out of the car and shut the door, leaning against it, tilting her big sunglasses down her nose with one finger. A large floppy hat paired with the sunglasses did a fairly good job of hiding most of her features, but it was definitely her. Besides the fact that he’d recognize Lola anywhere.  
  
Daisy was wearing a high-waisted skirt and a white cropped turtleneck, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and bright, bright red lipstick. Mack was still asking him questions, but Coulson felt like his heart was in his throat.  
  
She grinned slowly as she watched them approach, and he shifted his knee a little as he stepped, suddenly wishing he could adjust his trousers.  
  
“Two handsome men and only one passenger seat,” Daisy tutted, unable to keep from smiling at Mack. “What am I to do?”  
  
“Damn, Tremors, what are you thinking?” Mack chided, but then he had a smile that was threatening to split his face in two, and he picked her up in a big bear hug, spinning her around. She laughed, hugging him tightly with one arm and holding her hat secure with the other.  
  
Coulson watched the two friends, pleased, but the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, so he also kept watch on the parking lot. They couldn’t stay here out in the open like this.  
  
“I was thinking,” Daisy said after she got her feet back on the ground, “me and the boss-man need to have a face to face.” The look she gave him when she said that had him shifting his weight nervously, hoping to God it wasn’t all over his face.  
  
“Not the boss-man anymore,” Mack told her, glancing at Coulson before looking back at her, like he wanted to keep his eyes on her every moment he had the chance to.  
  
Coulson understood that feeling.  
  
“Really?” Daisy asked with surprise, returning Coulson’s gaze. “I didn’t know that.” She said, and he thought that perhaps he should have mentioned something last night. He’d been a little too busy attempting to get a grip on his love for her to think about anything else at the time. “Well,” She sighed, propping a hand up on her waist, jutting her hip out just slightly. He swallowed. “It looks like we have a lot to talk about, indeed.”  
  
“Bring him back safe and sound, alright?” Mack warned her, and her eyes lit up as she looked up at him.  
  
“Aw, you two are so cute.” She teased, and Mack rolled his eyes.  
  
“The Director will have my head if she finds out I’ve not only let Coulson out of my sight, but knowingly allowed him to run off with you.”  
  
“Is running off with me a problem she’s concerned about?” Daisy asked interestedly, and Mack gave Coulson a pointed look, and Coulson pursed his lips and folded his arms across his chest. “It’s May, isn’t it?” Daisy grinned, sharing a knowing look with Mack.  
  
“What are you doing here, Daisy?” Coulson asked, trying to get the subject off of him.  
  
“A face-to-face,” Daisy repeated, growing more serious. “Can I come up to the room? You should pack a bag.”  
  
“Pack a bag?” Mack repeated with surprise, raising his eyebrow at his old partner first, and then his new partner.  
  
“It’s a bit of a drive, where I’m staying,” Daisy admitted. “It’ll be easier if I bring him back here tomorrow.”  
  
“I’m not a _child_ ,” Coulson fussed.  
  
“No,” Daisy agreed, “but you are a bit of a loose cannon, it seems. So,” she turned toward Mack, “do I have permission to have him for the evening?” Mack held his hands up in the air.  
  
“When they ask, I’ll tell ‘em you threatened me with your earthquake powers.” Mack told her, and she laughed, grasping his arms to lift herself up high enough to kiss his cheek.  
  
“Better make it look good then, huh?” She mused, sending Coulson a coy look before stepping back from Mack and shifting her stance entirely.  
  
All of a sudden, she seemed a little dangerous in that 50s getup. Coulson felt a shiver go up his spine as her expression hardened. How was it that he was still nothing but attracted to her, even when he _knew_ she could kill him? Not that she would, of course, but she _could_.  
  
Okay, maybe he was a little scared of her. But in an appreciative sort of way.  
  
“Get going,” She tilted her head toward the hotel entrance, gesturing with her hand in a way that wouldn’t be obvious to bystanders, but was clearly supposed to be a threat for anyone who knew what she could do.  
  
“Yes ma'am,” Coulson muttered under his breath, making sure not to look too comfortable being ordered around as he turned and led the way back inside.  
  
They returned to Coulson’s room and Mack settled on the other bed, watching as Coulson threw together a change of clothes into his smaller ‘go bag’.  
  
“Nice beard, by the way.” Daisy commented suddenly, leaning against the wall with her arms folded as she observed them. Coulson looked up at her for a moment, his face angled away from Mack so he couldn’t see the telling smirk.  
  
“That’s nothing, you should see what it was like yesterday,” Mack spoke up, picking up the shoe box (that was now once more filled with all the photos they’d been digging through) and handing it toward her. “I took a picture. It’s in there somewhere.”  
  
“You…” Daisy slowly took the box from him, pretending to be surprised to see it, peering under the lid. “You stole my box of pictures? Why is it here?”  
  
“This one thought there might be some sort of code with them,” Mack informed her, gesturing his head toward Coulson. Coulson cleared his throat warningly, but didn’t say anything as he went into the bathroom to grab his toothbrush.  
  
“Did he,” He heard Daisy muse curiously, and almost picked up on the trace of amusement in her tone. She’d better be careful, or Mack would start suspecting that this information wasn’t new to her. If he wasn’t already suspecting, that is.  
  
“Got any special plans?” Mack asked innocently, dropping his voice. Coulson could still hear him if he listened carefully though.  
  
“Whatever do you mean?” Daisy asked, aloof, and Mack scoffed.  
  
“We’ve been at this for a year, Tremors. You think I believe that all of a sudden his Super-Gut gave him a hunch that hit the nail on the head? I don’t know how long it’s been happening, but I know the two of you have been in contact. Somehow.”  
  
“We’re not conspiring against SHIELD, Mack,” Daisy assured softly. “Yeah, I’ll admit I’ve been leaving little notes behind every now and then… But it’s not exactly been 'communication’. I’ve never given him a way to initiate contact.”  
  
“Why the photos?” Mack wondered. They were silent for a moment, and Coulson realized he’d stopped getting his things together and was just standing there in the middle of the bathroom.  
  
“I wanted him to know something.” Daisy finally said.  
  
“About the Inhumans? About how you’ve been surviving doing all this on your own?” Mack asked, concerned for her wellbeing. Coulson could imagine the face she was giving him.  
  
“No, Mack. You know with the Accords that it’s safer for you guys if me and my team stay completely separate from you.”  
  
“You have a team?” Mack wondered, and then with a little more teasing in his tone, “been keeping him apprised of Lola?”  
  
“It’s personal, Mack.” Daisy said, and they were silent again for long enough that Coulson started feeling itchy.  
  
“I can’t believe he let you borrow Lola. So he knew you were leaving, didn’t he?”  
  
“I didn’t exactly tell him in any particular manner. But he gave me the keys and told me if I needed some time, to take the time. To take Lola, and come back when I was ready. To take good care of her.”  
  
“It’s obvious you have been.” Mack said appreciatively, and Coulson found himself smiling a little with pride. “He never seemed mad when we realized you weren’t just taking a break. And when Talbot organized a group to find you, well, he’s concerned, but never has been in the same way as the others.”  
  
“What do you mean by that?”  
  
“He wants to find you, but… I don’t think it’s to bring you back to SHIELD. I think he’s leading this whole op to protect you from SHIELD.”  
  
“Sounds about right.” Coulson could hear the smile in her voice.  
  
“So, you finally told him how you feel, then? Using the photos?” Mack asked suddenly, and Daisy made a flustered sound.  
  
“What are you talking about?” She didn’t sound very believable, and apparently Mack thought so too.  
  
“Girl. I’ve been your partner for a couple years, remember.”  
  
“So?” She returned defensively.  
  
“Plus, some of these older photos… You never thought he would see them, did you?”  
  
“Well, there was a reason they were in my room, under my bed.” She grouched.  
  
“Well, he saw them. It freaked him out a little bit, I think.”  
  
“What? Because of Hunter and Trip teasing me? Because,” Daisy sounded worried, and Mack was quick to explain,  
  
“No, no, not in a bad way. I don’t think.”  
  
“What the hell does that mean?” Daisy sounded suspicious. “Did you tell him something?”  
  
“I swear I didn’t tell him anything. But I left him alone in here last night with all these photos, and he had them all out everywhere, and it was pretty obvious that uh, he was your favorite subject in front of the lens.” Coulson could hear the raised eyebrow in Mack’s voice. “Plus, there were a few… Don’t tell him I know this, please, but, uh, there were a few of you that he kept.”  
  
“Kept?” Daisy repeated.  
  
“Yeah, you know, slipped into his wallet.”  
  
Traitor.  
  
Coulson made a racket with the cabinet door under the sink, announcing his return to the bedroom, and they quickly stopped their conversation.  
  
“I’m keeping this, just in case you decide to burn it.” Daisy informed him, holding up the photo Mack had taken the night before. Coulson sighed heavily, and shrugged in resignation.  
  
“Don’t be insulted that I’m bringing my gun,” Coulson said to Daisy, giving no hint that he’d heard anything they had been saying. “But I’ve had a bit of trouble with the Watchdogs lately.”  
  
“No worries.” Daisy promised, looking nervous, probably because of what Mack had told her. “Ready to go?”  
  
“Anxious to get me alone?” Coulson joked, wiggling his eyebrows a little, despite his own embarrassment of flirting with her in front of Mack.  
  
She opened her mouth to say something, blinked, then closed her mouth again. Mack snorted and got to his feet.  
  
“I’ll hold down the fort here. I don’t need details if you don’t want to share them, but I would like to know that you get wherever it is you’re going safely.” Mack said, and Daisy nodded.  
  
“I’ll send word to Agent Gretley and make sure she passes it along to you.” She promised him, and he made an exasperated noise.  
  
“See, that’s what I’m talking about! How does she know everything about where we are, and we never know anything about her?” Mack demanded of Coulson, who only shrugged. Daisy grinned widely.  
  
“I’m pretty good, you know.” Daisy told him, and he gave Coulson a look, one which Coulson attempted to avoid by gesturing toward the door.  
  
“We should get going. I’m sure the Director has been keeping track of the local cameras, and more than likely has sent a team in this direction.” He said, and Daisy nodded.  
  
“I’d put a loop on some of them, but I made sure to 'accidentally miss’ a few. It gave us some extra time, but you’re right, we should get going now.” Daisy agreed.  
  
“Shoot me with that Icer, Coulson,” Mack suggested, laying back onto the bed he had used the first few nights. Coulson raised his eyebrow.  
  
“What?”  
  
“So when they get here I’ll either be knocked out or just coming to. Would explain why I didn’t follow you out of the room.”  
  
“You could just tell them I punched you.” Coulson pointed out, freeing his gun from the shoulder holster, but slowly. As much as he was annoyed at Mack telling Daisy about the photos in his wallet, he didn’t want to _shoot_ him.  
  
Mack gave him a dry look.  
  
“Yeah, you’re better off knocking him out with the Icer,” Daisy chuckled, and Coulson frowned.  
  
“I’ll have you know I throw a mean right hook.” He muttered, flicking the safety off of his pistol. “Ready?” He sighed, and Mack nodded.  
  
“Don’t forget to keep me updated, alright? And Daisy,” Mack looked at her sadly, but seriously, “After this, there isn’t a next chance. If I see you again, I’m going on my obligation to take you in. I can only disobey orders for so long before they ground me.”  
  
Daisy nodded, completely understanding. She stepped up to the bed to give Mack a big hug.  
  
“Thank you for keeping an eye on him, Mack.” She whispered, and though his heart warmed, Coulson pretended he didn’t hear it.  
  
“Alright, get on with it,” Mack shifted against the pillows, making sure he was comfortable.  
  
“I’ll see you in a day or two, Mack.” Coulson promised.  
  
“May is gonna be a _so pissed_ at you.” Mack shook his head. “I’ve got it easy, here.” Coulson nodded in agreement, and then fired the tranquilizing weapon into Mack’s thigh. One would do, they only needed to get downstairs to Lola.  
  
“He’s right, you know.” Coulson said as they made sure the door locked behind them. “Next time we see you…”  
  
“I know.” Daisy said, putting a hand on his shoulder to turn him around, zipping open the bag he had slung onto his back. She carefully tucked the shoebox inside, making sure the lid wouldn’t pop open. She then wriggled her eyebrows at him, carefully tucking that bearded picture of him into her bra. “For safe keeping. Let’s go.” She slipped her hand inside of his for a moment, squeezing hard, and let go as they rounded the corner toward the elevator.  
  
Just as the door started to open, Coulson saw combat boots and black cargo pants, and grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the stairs.  
  
“Agents are here already.” He informed her, moving quickly but calmly down the stairway.  
  
“They’ve probably got Lola staked out,” Daisy complained, not wanting to have to have an altercation with SHIELD today. She never liked fighting the people she used to work with.  
  
“Not necessarily,” Coulson admitted, and Daisy raised her eyebrow. “Only my original team really recognize her for what she is. And for anyone who ever knew to ask, I told them I had her parked at a safe house.”  
  
“I wondered how I’ve managed to drive her around without any trouble,” Daisy said appreciatively, and Coulson smiled.  
  
They reached the door that led outside, and he gestured she wait behind as he poked his head out. This side of the building was clear, and he tutted under his breath.  
  
“When I get back, I’m going to have to give these agents a basic lesson in covering the exits.” He shook his head, leading the way out of the building. They paused at the corner, Daisy standing too close to him, her breath on the back of his neck. “What?” He asked, not looking, thinking she wanted to say something.  
  
“Nothing, just,” And then her hand was snaking around his front, grabbing onto his tie and whirling him around to face her. She was kissing him again, quick and fierce, just like she had the first time, holding tight onto his tie to keep him close.  
  
Although it was clearly not the time, he did take just long enough to run his tongue along the roof of her mouth, making her emit an appreciative noise that went straight to his cock.  
  
“We have to go,” He groaned, pulling his mouth away from hers, and she huffed, but nodded. She smoothed his tie down, and smiled a little apologetically.  
  
“I’ve missed your suits.” She said, as if that explained everything.  
  
“We…” The close by chattering of a radio made him pause, and his shoulders tensed as he prepared for a more violent type of physical altercation. “We’re discussing this later.” He promised, and she nodded, and smirked at him for whatever reason, before stepping around the corner of the building and knocking the young agent out with one well-placed punch.  
  
“Wow.” Coulson said, staring, and she rolled her eyes.  
  
“Let’s go, bud.” She grabbed his shoulder and pushed him ahead of her, slipping Lola’s keys into his hand. “You’re driving.”  
  
“I am?” He asked hopefully. He’d missed Lola. Not as much as he’d missed Daisy, but…close, perhaps.  
  
“It makes more sense, doesn’t it? They can’t rescue you as easily if you’re the one in the drivers seat, and plus, it would explain why you aren’t trying to escape from my clutches.”  
  
“Why would I ever want to?” He wondered under his breath, and she snorted. “I am still cool, you know,” He insisted as they jogged toward the car, “No matter what Mack may have told you about my beard.”  
  
“Wait, what about your beard? Is there some sort of story behind this?” She perked up at that, and he mentally punched himself. Mack must not have told her quite everything, thank God.  
  
“Nothing, nothing.”  
  
“Hey! Stop!” Someone called out behind them. “Agent Simmons, I’ve got them out front.”  
  
“Shit, Simmons is in the field?” Daisy asked in surprise, and Coulson gave her a wry look.  
  
“Talbot has the whole team on your recovery. He thinks we have the best chance of catching you.” Coulson informed her, and she snorted. “Yeah,” Coulson agreed, “I tried to tell him that no one stood a chance, but he didn’t believe me. He just thinks I’m soft.”  
  
“Soft in general, or just with me?” Daisy wondered as they both hopped over Lola’s doors, not bothering to take the time to open them. Daisy was surprisingly agile in that skirt, and hasn’t yet lost the hat off the top of her head.  
  
“Mostly with you.” Coulson admitted, starting the car and taking only a half a second to revel in the sound of the engine and the feel of the wheel under his palms.  
  
“You two can have your alone time later, alright? Let’s get out of here first.” Daisy told him, and he pulled his seat belt on as he started flicking some switches. Daisy’s hands worked quickly around his, the two of them together turning on the car’s defenses and the thrusters at the same time.  
  
“Agent Coulson!” Simmons was running out the front door, an Icer in her hands but lowered toward the ground, “Daisy! Stop!”  
  
“Sorry, Jemma, gotta run!” Daisy called out as Lola rose into the air. “I’ll bring him back unscathed, I promise!” She added under her breath, “Mostly unscathed.”  
  
“Geez.” Coulson muttered, putting the car into gear before all the blood left his brain entirely. “Where are we going?” He asked through gritted teeth as they both ducked to dodge wayward bullets.  
  
“Stop firing, you might hit Coulson!” They heard Simmons order from below, and the bullets stopped flying around them.  
  
“Wisconsin. I’ll give you more specifics once we get close.” Daisy told him, turning to watch the commotion below them.  
  
“Wisconsin?” Coulson repeated, looking at her sideways, but put pedal to the metal before the SHIELD agents decided to start firing again.  
  
“Think they’ll try to follow us in the sky?” Daisy wondered, and Coulson shook his head.  
  
“Not with Simmons down there with them. She knows they could never keep up with Lola.” Coulson spoke almost proudly of his car, and Daisy grinned. “And put your seatbelt on; damn, haven’t you learned yet?” He reached around her to grab her seatbelt, and she pawed his hand away.  
  
“ _You_ drive, I got it,” She rolled her eyes, clicking the belt into place, and Coulson put both hands on the wheel as he guided the car around a few buildings before pulling up to a higher altitude.  
  
After they’d settled down and the adrenalin had passed, Coulson asked Daisy to explain a little more about this one-on-one conversation she wanted to have, thinking she meant to tell him of some big plan she had to speak out against the Accords.  
  
It didn’t have anything to do with the Accords.  
  
“I’m _driving_!” He sputtered, hurriedly grabbing her hand when she started sliding it up his thigh. She laughed, the sound more lighthearted than he’d heard from her in quite a while. Maybe being on the run had actually been a bit relaxing for her after all.  
  
“I just wanted to see what you would do,” She grinned cheekily, and he narrowed his eyes in her direction. He was losing the battle against fighting off a smirk, though, and shook his head slowly, tangling his fingers through hers so he could hold her hand across the console.  
  
“Hey,” She said after a number of minutes had past, “You know that picture I sent you that I said was my favorite?”  
  
“Yeah?” Coulson replied, able to look over at her for longer periods of time now that they were higher up in the air and away from any immediate danger.  
  
“Do you still have it?” Her tone was odd.  
  
“Of course I do.” He said, shifting his weight so he could reach into his back pocket and get his wallet. He tried not to make it obvious when he was careful about opening it, only pulling out the photo she was asking for. She tilted her chin up a little, as if she was trying to peer inside, and he frantically tried to think of an answer for the question he was sure she was going to ask.  
  
“Thanks for holding on to it for me,” She said softly, taking the worn photo from him and holding it in both hands as she looked at it. She didn’t ask him about any other photos, and he silently released a breath of relief, closing his wallet and sliding it back into his pocket.  
  
“Why did you give it to me?” He wondered, paying more attention to the expression on her face as she looked at the picture. Huh. Maybe she had been pretty blatant, too, and he was just a blind idiot. “Were you in particular danger?” He asked carefully, trying not to freak out about something that has already passed. “Is that why you said you 'had to’ when you kissed me in the park?”  
  
She seemed to mull over the question for a moment, and then nodded silently. He gritted his teeth and swallowed, imagining all sorts of scenarios she could have suffered through.  
  
“You weren’t alone, were you?”  
  
“Coulson,” She sighed, leaning over and pressing a lingering kiss against his cheek. “No,” she said once she’d settled back into her seat, “I wasn’t alone.” He glanced at her again, smiling carefully, concern still lingering on his face. He squeezed her hand and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.  
  
“Good.”  
  
The drove on in comfortable silence for an hour or two, Daisy falling asleep on his shoulder at some point. He still felt overwhelmed, a little anxious almost, every time she touched him. He was slowly getting more accustomed to it, and continually assured himself that this was real, this was okay, she was strong, he wasn’t putting her in any more danger than she was already dealing with…  
  
Why did he always feel like he was on the verge of a panic attack lately?  
  
Nothing else in the sky but clouds, he turned his head and tucked his nose against her hair, breathing in slowly and deeply until he calmed down. Her hand, strong but soft, beneath his fingers. The weight of her head against his shoulder. The smell of her hair. She was snoring very softly right now, the sound more like a purr than anything else, and it made him smile.  
By the time he prepared to land so he could find a gas station, he was at peace once more. It had been a while since he had driven Lola, so the landing was a little jarring, and Daisy woke up with a start. She was immediately on edge, ready for action with a speed that only being a SHIELD agent - and being on the run - could teach you.  
  
“No worries, just need to fill up the tank. And stretch my legs a little.” Coulson told her, and she nodded, stretching her arms up high as she yawned. He tried not to watch too obviously.  
  
“I could go for some of those little packaged donuts right now.” Daisy announced, and Coulson raised his eyebrows at her. “What?” She asked, frowning a little at the amusement on his face. “As if I don’t know about your sweet tooth. Little Debbie’s? Twizzlers? Chocolate bars? And I could never forget that time Mack and Hunter were fighting over a Twinkie, and you walked up and took it from the both of them.”  
  
“Nothing wrong with a little comfort food.” Coulson groused, slouching a little in his seat, and she laughed.  
  
“Where does it all go?!” She teased, poking his chest, and he sat up a little straighter at that. “Anyway,” She grew more serious as they pulled into the gas station, “you know the deal. No phones, no sneaky looks at video cameras. Don’t be obvious about it, but try and keep your face hidden, alright?”  
  
“Because a red convertible, man in a suit, woman in a 50s getup isn’t definitive enough?” Coulson joked. “I don’t think they’ll need to see my face.”  
  
“Still, recognition software would find you pretty quickly. Let’s not make it too easy for them, alright?” Daisy replied, and Coulson nodded, smiling a little.  
  
“This could be kind of fun.” He admitted carefully, parking at a pump and turning the engine off. She smiled widely at him and unbuckled her seatbelt, leaning over to give him a quick, open-mouthed kiss.  
  
“We’ll see if you say that once you figure out where we’re going.” She teased as he was still trying to recover from the kiss. She got out of the car and headed inside the convenience store, turning and blowing him another kiss when she reached the doorway. Coulson stared after, probably looking entirely too debauched for the situation.


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

 

“Daisy!” Coulson half-scolded, although it was too late for him to have any say in the matter, any how.  
  
“I’ve been staying with him off and on for the past year, Coulson, and no one has ever even scouted the town, much less stopped by the office.” Daisy assured him.  
  
“Other people aren’t what I’m worried about! What if something triggers his memories? It could be dangerous for him and for you if he starts remembering who he used to be, what he had gone through.”  
  
“You don’t think I know that? I’m very careful, Coulson, but look - and I know you won’t like this - he thinks of me as a daughter,” Though she was speaking strongly and firmly, he could see the tears in her eyes as she drove. “And you can’t - I won’t let you take that away from me. This is the closest thing I have to having my dad back in my life.”  
  
“Daisy, I,” Coulson’s heart was wrenching just seeing her so emotional about it, it didn’t matter that he and Cal hadn’t necessarily been on best of terms. “I wouldn’t.” He admitted. “I’m just worried. You were there when I started remembering, and my situation hadn’t been as violent as Cal’s. What if…” He didn’t want to start imagining if Cal started to remember, and if Cal decided to blame Daisy. (Would he? He obviously had loved her far too much to ever hurt her on purpose. But what about the monster side of him? What about Hyde?)  
  
“I’ve been very careful.” Daisy repeated assuringly, reaching over and squeezing his knee as she turned right at a stop sign. “He never, ever sees me as ‘Quake’ - I don’t even bring my disguises or uniform into the apartment.”  
  
“How do you explain your absences?” Coulson asked.  
  
“I don’t actually stay with him too long at once. I told him that I work in another town, but I come through here often. And that was when he offered the extra room in his apartment above the office.”  
  
“What do you do when you’re here?”  
  
“I help him with the animals. It’s actually fairly therapeutic - it’s helped me more than I expected it would,” She told him, and he pressed his lips together. If this was something that had helped her recover, he couldn’t fault that. “I’ve also boosted his security - basic improvements for him, but some more high-tech things he doesn’t know about that keep me safe, as well. And I help him out at the desk sometimes if his office assistant can’t come in.”  
  
“Sounds like you’ve been far more productive than me, as of late,” Coulson admitted quietly, disappointed in himself now that he was actually taking a moment to look at how he’d been acting lately.  
  
“I highly doubt that,” Daisy argued, “It takes a lot of work to hide such lovey doe-eyes from other SHIELD agents, doesn’t it,” she sounded very knowing.  
  
“Are you teasing me?” Coulson wondered, a bit affronted that she said he had doe eyes.  
  
“You’re my boyfriend, by the way.” She informed him casually as she pulled into a back alley parking area, where Cal had a couple of private spaces so he could park away from the customers.  
  
“What?” Coulson spluttered, remembering the many one-on-one’s he and Cal had involving Daisy. “Are you trying to get me killed?”  
  
“He’s nice now, remember?” Daisy smiled, patting Coulson’s leg as she turned off the car. “Just don’t say anything that will set him off.”  
  
“What does he know about me?” Coulson asked with a sigh as he slowly got out of the car. They both took the moment to stretch their limbs, and Daisy grabbed her hat from where she’d stashed it behind her seat, sliding it onto her head with a practiced fashion.  
  
“Not much, I figured I could leave all that up to you. I did tell him you were an accountant, so the suit today is probably a good choice.” She grinned sheepishly at Coulson’s expression as they met at the back of the car, pulling their bags from the trunk.  
  
“An accountant.” He repeated, slinging his bag over his shoulder and grabbing hers to carry it for her.  
  
“Yeah,” She mused, “Now that I’ve seen you without any pants on, I’m rethinking that assessment.”  
  
“Please don’t say things like that in front of Cal,” Coulson groaned, sliding his hand over his face.  
  
“Don’t worry,” Daisy assured him, leading him to the back door of the building, pulling out a key. “And honestly, I can’t believe you didn’t make this connection yourself.” She sounded disappointed in him, almost chiding him. “One, you don’t even suspect in the first place that I would hide out with him after I run off? Then even after I send you that photo, you don’t think to come by and check things out?”  
  
“I was getting to it,” Coulson muttered, pouting just a little. “I went all the way to Canada just for a kiss, didn’t I?”  
  
“Mm, but it was worth it, wasn’t it?” Daisy mused, remembering, leaning forward against his chest once he had closed the door behind them.  
  
“I, uh, jury’s still out on that one,” he stuttered instead of saying what he was really thinking ( _Hell yes it was worth it_ ), his eyes on the man standing in the hall watching them. Daisy had to have known they weren’t alone, but she didn’t seem to care all that much, and took her time righting herself and pulling an appropriate distance away from Coulson.  
  
“Hey, Cal,” Daisy greeted warmly, turning to face him, and Cal’s face lit up as she moved further down the hall to give him a hug.  
  
“Daisy,” Cal greeted just as happily, perhaps more so, and it was hard for Coulson to distinguish this man from the one he’d known previously.  
  
Then again, that was the point of the TAHITI project….  
  
“You’re Phil, right?” Cal checked, holding a hand out toward Coulson as Daisy took her bag from him and stepped to the side.  
  
“That’s me,” Coulson nodded, smiling as he shook Cal’s hand. The doctor’s grip was firm, but not threateningly so, and Coulson relaxed a little.  
  
“Good grip for an accountant!” Cal mused, laughing, and Coulson chuckled as well, though his was slightly nervous.  
  
“I take jiu-jitsu classes.” Coulson explained, and Cal looked even more excited, if that was possible.  
  
“Oo! Very cool!” Cal shifted into a very film-esque karate stance, and Daisy laughed, patting his shoulder as she slipped past him.  
  
“That’s karate, Cal.” She said, and he slowly lowered his arms.  
  
“Oh. Oops. Hey! Do you like dogs? I just got a new puppy in - wait, we’ve met before, right?” Cal spoke like a hyper-active child that had just eaten an entire helping of Halloween candy, and Coulson had to take a moment to acclimate himself. Cal was peering at him suspiciously, and Daisy had paused at the foot of the circular stairwell.  
  
“Uh, possibly, a little while ago. It’s probably been a year or two since I’ve been in town.” Coulson said, and Cal nodded.  
  
“Yes, yes, I remember. You almost adopted little Wally from me!” Cal recalled, and Coulson nodded, smiling carefully.  
  
“Unfortunately an accountant’s life is too boring for a dog, I think. I hope he’s found a home, though?” Coulson did mean that; he’d grown fond of that little white pup in the short time he’d last visited this place with Daisy. He even remembered the moment Daisy asked to take his picture with the puppy; she’d said it was cute. He’d thought she’d been talking about the dog, but maybe not….  
  
“He has!” Cal’s eyes sparkled. “Upstairs!”  
  
“What?” Coulson wondered, surprised. He looked at Daisy, who was grinning from ear to ear.  
  
“I try to visit more often than I let on, I suppose. Check in on Wally, you know.” She admitted, and Coulson knew he probably looked like a huge dork right now. “Well, come on. I’ll show you upstairs, and you can come reunite.”  
  
“I’ll leave you two be, I’m sure you’ve had a long drive,” Cal called up the stairs after them. Coulson wondered where he thought they had driven from. “I’ve got a date tonight anyway!”  
  
“What!” Daisy hesitated at the top of the stairs, and Coulson stopped short before he ran into her. “You’re telling me all about this before you leave, mister!”  
  
“Yes, ma'am!” Cal replied, and the back of Coulson’s neck itched at Cal’s happiness. It wasn’t a bad thing at all, he was even happy that the man was living his life, but he felt like he was just waiting for the bomb to drop.  
  
“Hey,” Daisy whispered once Coulson had reached the second level and was standing next to her, “I know it’s really weird right now. Trust me, I’d seen Cal…do a lot of things, and it took me a while to trust him, to believe his peacefulness here. But it’s all real, Coulson. Right now he’s probably downstairs planning when he can make you his famous pie - not plotting your demise.”  
  
Coulson shivered a little, remembering a few of those attempts of Cal’s, and Daisy touched his arm.  
  
“His room is this first door to the left, he has his own bathroom attached.” Daisy explained, describing the layout of the apartment. “This hall leads to the rest of the apartment; living room and kitchen, main bathroom - which will be the one we use - my bedroom. There’s a washer and dryer here too, which is nice.”  
  
There was a dog gate at the end of the hall, and a very excited dog leaning it’s front paws against it, yipping every now and then.  
  
“Wally!” Daisy greeted, lilting her voice a little, setting her bag over the other side of the gate before opening it and crouching, catching the dog that leapt into her arms. “He’s trained not to bark unless there’s an intruder,” Daisy explained around the dog’s excited tongue licking all over her chin, “But sometimes he just gets too excited, don’t ya pup?”  
  
Somehow he found her even more endearing as she baby-talked to the puppy in her arms. Coulson grinned, setting his bag next to hers, holding his hand out for Wally to sniff. He wuffed quietly, scrambling in Daisy’s arms toward Coulson, and she handed him over, laughing.  
  
“I think he remembers you,” She teased, grinning as the dog licked Coulson’s face and then hesitated, clearly having never experienced a beard before.  
  
“Aw, who’s a good boy?” Coulson crooned, forgetting about Daisy for a moment as he ruffled Wally’s ears. He stepped into the living room, shutting the gate behind him with his foot.  
  
Daisy leaned over to press a kiss to the dog’s head before taking the bags and putting them in the bedroom. Wally wiggled around again when she disappeared from view, and Coulson crouched to set him down, watching as he took off after her, his little paws scrambling around the hardwood floor as he only half-managed to get a good grip.  
  
As he listened to Daisy goof off with the puppy, he poked around the apartment, familiarizing himself. The kitchen was surprisingly well-equipped, and he recalled her mentioning something about Cal making pie. Maybe he liked to cook.  
  
Something they had in common, other than Daisy, anyway. That was good; that was something he could talk about safely. (He was probably unnecessarily worrying, but he just couldn’t get the image of an enraged Cal kneeling over him and pummeling him over and over again with his fists…)  
  
“Hey,” Daisy was behind him, surprising him, and she wrapped an arm around his waist. “I can tell that you’re stressing out about something. Is it Cal?”  
  
She always could read him like a book, and that was before she had superpowers.  
“Sorry. I’m sure you’re right about him, but,” Coulson turned in her embrace, wrapping his own arms around her waist as well, “It’s going to take me some time, Daisy. Definitely more than a day. Perhaps…”  
  
“Coulson, I don’t expect you to trust him.” Daisy told him, surprising him again. “He had been quite vocal about the things he’d wanted to do to you…wanting to hurt you, even kill you. I _watched_ him hurt you. I don’t expect you to just move on like none of that ever happened.” She held him a little tighter. “Just…give him a chance, okay? Maybe don’t trust him with your life, but, trust his happiness. Trust what we’ve done for him and what he’s since done for himself.”  
  
“Aren’t I supposed to be the wise one in this relationship?” Coulson wondered softly, and she laughed gently, leaning into him even more.  
  
“Were you ever?” She teased, and he smiled, tilting his head down to kiss her. She’d taken off her hat and her shoes while she’d been in the bedroom, so she was a little shorter than him now, but when she lifted her chin he could reach her mouth easily.  
  
There was a snap click of a photo, and the whirring sound of it printing, and he opened his eyes while he still had his mouth against hers, raising his eyebrow. She started laughing into his mouth, holding the camera out behind her and setting the photo on top of the counter. She kissed him messily as if she were trying to distract him, and he tilted his head back to pull his mouth away, narrowing his eyes playfully, and then went for the camera.  
  
She was faster, ducked out from his arms, and danced away into the living room. Wally hopped around her feet, an oversized stuffed baseball in his mouth, looking up at her. She started hopping around with him, dancing with him almost, and Coulson watched the two happily for moment…  
  
Before finding his chance to rush toward her, careful of Wally at his feet, making her back up quickly until she fell back onto the couch. He grabbed the camera from her as she fell, putting it on the coffee table as he followed her down, trapping her beneath him against the cushions.  
  
“Hey, I was distracted by puppy! Foul!” Daisy protested, pushing at him, but he knew she could actually push him to the ground if she really wanted him off of her.  
  
“I was distracted by you, so fair game,” Coulson argued, using his legs to keep hers still, pulling a jiu-jitsu move. He held himself up with his arms, raising an eyebrow down at her, and she grabbed his biceps in a stronger attempt to push him. He didn’t budge, and smirked at her. She narrowed her eyes.  
  
She brought her knee up to the inside of his thigh, avoiding his groin but close enough to scare him, and he flinched. She used that opportunity to get her arms around his and sat up, using her own weight to push him onto his back and straddle him, holding his arms down against the cushions with her hands. Her skirt was hiked up impossibly high, and he couldn’t help but slide his palm against her leg where he could reach, reveling at her smooth, tanned skin.  
  
She pressed her body flush against his, butterfly kisses against his lips, sliding her hands firmly up his shoulders, neck, into his hair. She scraped her nails against his scalp and he groaned, lifting his hips, very quickly forgetting their little sparring match. With his arms now free he was able to explore her strong legs further, his fingers just beneath the hem of her skirt. She shifted her knee between his, rolling her hips against his thigh, pressing her own leg right against his groin.  
  
“Fuck, Daisy,” He breathed between kisses, and then she started really kissing him, absolutely dirty kisses, her tongue practically down his throat. He was helpless beneath her, his hands shifting between holding her legs and touching the skin revealed by her cropped top.  
  
He could make out with her for hours, but he really didn’t want to come from dry humping on her father’s couch.  
  
With that thought clearing his mind a little, he wrapped his free leg high around her waist and rolled off the couch, making sure to land on his back so he took her weight instead of the other way around, but rolling quickly so he ended up on top.  
  
“Hey,” Daisy protested, after letting out an ‘oof’ when they landed on the floor.  
  
Wally barked next to them, bounding in and licking Daisy’s face.  
  
“Two against one! Not fair!” She cried out, turning her head away in an attempt to avoid his tongue.  
  
“Haha, good boy, Wally,” Coulson praised the puppy, who heard his name and started trying to lick Coulson’s face. He had to jump up to reach him though, and quickly grew tired of that, so returned his attentions to Daisy.  
  
“I was having fun,” Daisy pouted at Coulson, before having to tilt her chin away to avoid Wally again. Coulson simply grinned down at her, trying to calm down, far too aware of the half-aroused bulge in his trousers.  
  
She tried to get her feet up onto his thighs, to push his knees out from under him, but he sat down on top of her thighs and used his body weight to his advantage. The pressure felt way too good, and he prayed to God she wouldn’t start shifting underneath him and make it worse (or better).  
  
“Coulson,” She whined, though there was a sharp glint in her eye, “don’t make me Quake you.”  
  
“You wouldn’t.” He challenged, still slightly breathless. He couldn’t help it; her powers always fascinated him. She raised her eyebrow very slowly, in a way that made him feel like she was reading his mind.  
  
“Oh my God, Coulson, do my powers actually turn you on?” Daisy blurted, laughing, but also blushing.  
  
“What? No, I - we were just,” Coulson spluttered, trying to explain. “Are you reading my vibrations right now?” He asked in disbelief, and she nodded, biting her lip to keep from laughing out loud. “Talk about not fair!” He accused, and she snorted.  
  
“Would it make you feel better if I told you that I’m quite enjoying rolling around on the floor with you?” Daisy offered, and he sat up, folding his arms across his chest, pursing his lips. Her legs were still trapped under him, so she could sit up as well, but she still couldn’t get free yet. She touched his forearm lightly, trailing her fingers from his wrist to elbow. “You hide a lot under those suits… That’s one of the things I like about them.”  
  
“Because they hide my muscles?” Coulson wondered, a little confused by that.  
  
“Yeah,” She nodded seriously, her hands squeezing his thighs now, “but that I know what’s underneath ‘em. There’s a bit of a thrill knowing that what other people think is a mild-mannered accountant is actually a badass secret agent.” She paused. “Who likes to sleep in boxer briefs.”  
  
He groaned, pretending to be put out.  
  
“Well, I don’t know _entirely_ what’s underneath the suits,” She amended, her hands moving even higher up his thighs. “Though I’m starting to get an idea,” Her fingers were _so close_ -  
  
“Daisy!” He hissed, embarrassed, grabbing her hands and looking toward the hallway. She raised her eyebrow at him.  
  
“So you weren’t concerned for him to walk in while we were making out on the couch?” Daisy wondered pointedly, and Coulson rolled off of her and to the side, sitting on the floor in front of the couch, letting go of her hands and smoothing down his tie.  
  
“I…wasn’t really thinking about him at the time.” Coulson admitted. Of course he wasn’t! Who wants to be thinking about the father of the woman who was shoving her tongue down your throat and moving her hips like that… He quickly readjusted his trousers, folding his hands together over his mild erection. It wasn’t too noticeable, but if she was looking… _Don’t think about that, Coulson._  
  
“I suppose we’ll have to have a rematch at some point.” Daisy shrugged, aloof, sliding next to him and sitting in front of where Wally was snoozing on the couch. “He’s actually a super lazy dog. I think he was just excited for you.”  
  
“Considering the amount of times you’ve practically accosted me, I’d say he’s not the only one 'excited for me’.” Coulson replied, and Daisy stared at him open-mouthed. He grinned.  
  
“Coulson!” She punched his arm. “Dirty jokes!” She continued to act appalled for a few seconds, but then returned his grin and nodded approvingly. “I like it.” Coulson laughed, leaning his shoulder against hers for a moment. “You’re one to talk about being excited,” She teased quietly, her nose touching the shell of his ear. He shivered, eyes fluttering slightly.  
  
“Hey guys,” Cal stood at the gate and knocked against the wall to announce his presence, before poking his head around the corner.  
  
Talk about a cold dose of water.  
  
“I’ve just locked up the store, so you won’t have to worry about taking care of it while I’m gone.” He continued, stepping over the gate and into the living room. Wally opened an eye to look at him, wiggled his little tail (mostly his butt), and went back to sleep.  
  
“Tell me about this hot date of yours,” Daisy asked, getting to her feet and smoothing down her skirt. Coulson swallowed and got to his feet quickly, swiping at his mouth and hoping he didn’t have lipstick all over his face.  
  
“Oh, all right,” Cal sighed dramatically, but he had a huge grin on his face, and Daisy slid onto one of the bar stools at the counter as Cal rummaged in the fridge for something.  
  
Coulson listened to them talk as he picked up the camera, inspecting it before turning toward Wally and snapping a photo. He wasn’t paying too much attention to the other two, until Cal’s voice trailed off and he coughed awkwardly.  
  
“Oops,” Daisy said lightly, laughing, and Coulson looked up toward them. Cal had his eyebrow raised, holding a photo up toward her questioningly. “That’s mine.” She said apologetically, taking it from him.  
  
“I figured.” He mused slowly, and glanced toward Coulson. Coulson blinked, but then Cal went back to his story.  
  
Coulson let out a quiet breath in relief.


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

 

Coulson insisted on cooking her dinner; a lemon-herb chicken dish that was simple but tasty. She enjoyed it, much to his pleasure, and after they ate she led him to the bedroom, where he discovered she had a couple computers set up on a desk across from the bed.  
  
“Cal thinks I like to watch movies on these, instead of a cable tv, but I usually use them for work.” Daisy explained, gesturing toward the end of the bed as she sat in the computer chair. He slowly sat down while she entered in a long password, wondering what she was about to show him. “Can you promise me not to tell the others everything I show you?” She asked carefully, turning toward him as the computer finished booting up. He hesitated, knowing Talbot would need _something_ from this whole ordeal. Plus, if she had some sort of way to find Inhumans… Coulson couldn’t just ignore that. Particularly if she could distinguish the dangerous from the innocent.  
  
“I’ll need to have something for them when I return, Daisy.” Coulson finally said, softly, and she nodded.  
  
“I know. But… I don’t want them to know that I have a team. And before you ask, I’m sorry, but I’m not telling you who they are.”  
  
“We sort of assumed that you haven’t been working completely alone,” Coulson replied. “And Mack and I are pretty sure Ms. Rodriguez and Mr. Gutierrez are helping you out.” Daisy looked worried, and Coulson shook his head. “Don’t worry, we’ve had a harder time finding them than we have finding you,” he assured her, and she relaxed. “They aren’t exactly my team’s priority, anyway…” Coulson gave her a pointed look, and she grinned a little.  
  
“Enemy Number One, huh?” She joked. “No wonder they’re so concerned about you running off with me.”  
  
Coulson reached out and touched her knee, slowly stroking her skin. (Now that he knew how soft it was, it was almost addicting how often he wanted to touch her.) She smiled and grasped his wrist for a moment, squeezing gently before turning back around toward the computer screens.  
  
“I want to show you what I’ve been doing.” She explained, opening up what looked almost like a spreadsheet on one screen, and a map on the other. The map had different colored dots all over it; what Coulson assumed indicated Inhumans - and there were a heck of a lot more dots on her map than SHIELD had on theirs.  
  
“You’ve been helping them. I know what you’ve been doing.” Coulson said carefully, scanning the map.  
  
“I’ve been doing more than that, though,” Daisy turned a little so she could easily look between the screens and him. “Each of those dots, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, represent an Inhuman. Blue is good, red is bad. I suppose that’s obvious. Purple are the ones we know about but haven’t contacted yet. Green are the ones I’m considering…” She trailed off, and Coulson raised his eyebrow.  
  
“You’re considering?” He repeated. She pursed her lips.  
  
“I want to share some of this information with you. The Inhumans I know about. Particularly, the ones who are using their powers for illegal or just general negative purposes.” Daisy said instead, typing away at the screen with the spreadsheet.  
  
“You’re giving them to us?” Coulson asked in surprise, and she nodded.  
  
“I don’t have any way of containing them. SHIELD, the ATCU, whatever - you do. I’m going to be honest here, Coulson - I’m not talking about the people who just don’t have good control over their powers. I’m talking about the one’s I’ve observed, interacted with, and know for a fact that aren’t good people.”  
  
“I appreciate this Daisy, but… If all Talbot sees are the bad guys, do you think that will change his opinion on Inhumans?” Coulson asked softly, and Daisy gave him a sad look.  
  
“I don’t like it, but this is how it’s got to be for right now. There are some really dangerous people out there, Coulson… People who were dangerous _before_ they got powers. The more of _those_ we can get out of the public eye…. Right now, if I have to choose enemies, I’ll take the government over the general public. Talbot, I can handle. The masses united? Not so much.”  
  
“And you would know about uniting the masses, wouldn’t you?” Coulson smiled a little, and she smirked.  
  
“The Tide is rising,” She quoted. “And I’m getting more and more supporters by the day. There are tons of groups online that are trying to counteract the Watchdog presence in social media, and they’re gaining more traction even as we speak. We can beat this, Coulson.” Daisy’s voice reminded him of her hacktivist days, and it made him smile.  
  
“We?” He asked carefully, and she looked him square in the eyes before she nodded.  
  
“In the dark together, right?” She asked, and he was surprised that she remembered that, caught off guard by the memory.  
  
“Right.” He agreed softly, admiring the pleased, relaxed expression on her face.  
  
When had he last seen her so at peace? It felt like it’s been years.  
  
“How have you been? Really?” He asked her, and she sighed, turning to shut down everything on the computer and lock it up again. Hopelessly in love or not, he was still SHIELD, and he was still obligated to get any information he could on the Inhumans. It was better that she not give him the opportunity to freely dig through her computer.  
  
“I’ll work on the file transfer tomorrow.” She promised him. “And I’ve been… Better. This has helped me.”  
  
“Helping other people seems to be very cathartic, doesn’t it?” Coulson added, knowingly, and she nodded. “Daisy, I,”  
  
“Don’t.” She interrupted him, turning the chair back round to face him. He blinked at the stern expression on her face. “Don’t apologize for something that wasn’t your fault.”  
  
“But I’m still sorry that you had to,”  
  
“Coulson, I saw you when SHIELD fell apart.” Daisy told him, leaning forward and resting her hands on his knees. “I saw you when Rosalind Price was murdered. These things that we’ve been through…” She shook her head. “We’ve both experienced things that no one person should ever experience. And sometimes it feels impossible, but, we have to move on. We have to keep living. We have to use what happened, make it good. Make it mean something.”  
  
Coulson stared at her for a moment, indescribably touched.  
  
“Here you are,” He admired quietly, “restoring my faith in humanity once again.”  
  
“And,” She smirked, “I’m not even human.”  
  
“No,” Coulson leaned his head to the side a little, “you’re better than that.”  
  
“Alright, Charm School,” Daisy sighed, leaning forward further and kissing him lightly on the lips. “I’m going to get ready for bed. You gonna take your pants off?” She joked, and he chuckled, ducking his head. She pulled her hands away and stood, moving toward the dresser.  
  
She was…unreal. How could she continue to, after having _so much_ thrown at her, be so _good_? He had seen so many people over the years become negative, hateful, downright evil at times; people who haven’t even gone through _half_ of what Daisy has experienced.  
  
And he’s always admired her, hasn’t he? Ever since he kept listening to those Rising Tide podcasts, long after it was necessary. He really was a dork.  
  
‘Getting ready for bed’ for him simply meant taking everything off except for his boxers and a t-shirt, so he was already half-asleep by the time Daisy reentered the bedroom. He vaguely paid attention as she turned the light off and slipped under the sheet, sliding in close to him. He felt Wally jump up onto the bed as well, immediately snuggling in at their feet.  
  
“Sorry, I had to take the dog out,” Daisy whispered, facing him, the tip of her nose mere inches away from his.  
  
“No worries,” He replied sleepily. “I don’t want to fall asleep yet.” He was whining a little. The room wasn’t quite completely dark, and he could sort of see her smile.  
  
“Me neither. But you should. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day for you.”  
  
“Ugh,” he groaned, not wanting to think about the reaming out he was going to receive from both Talbot and May. “Come here,” he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. It felt like she was wearing a tank top and sweat pants. He slid his hand across her shoulder and down her arm before resting it on her waist, appreciating the curves of femininity and muscle that he couldn’t quite see. She tangled her legs with his and nuzzled her nose against his jaw before tucking her head under his chin. “I don’t want to go yet.” He admitted, barely a whisper, and she rested her hand on the curve of his neck, stroking her thumb against his skin.  
  
“I love you.” Her voice floated across his consciousness, but he wasn’t sure whether it was just another dream.


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

 

Coulson woke up slowly, taking his time, already knowing he wouldn’t get another chance like this for a while. He breathed in deeply, smiling to himself as he was surrounded by Daisy’s scent. Blinking carefully, he opened his eyes more of when he discovered that the sun was only just starting to rise; the room was still fairly dark.  
  
Daisy was asleep (he was a little surprised that he awoke first, but didn’t mind at all - it gave him more time to look at her), and she was snoring softly. The sound, and the peaceful look on her face, filled him with fondness. As if he could be any _more_ fond of her than he already was.  
  
He propped his head up on his hand, turning onto his side from his back so he could face her more comfortably. He was sorely tempted to brush her hair back off of her cheek, but he didn’t want to wake her up, so he kept his hands to himself.  
  
His movement must’ve woken up the pup, though; Wally inched up the bed between Coulson and Daisy, wiggling on his tummy instead of actually getting to his feet.  
  
“Hey, boy,” Coulson whispered quietly, scratching the top of Wally’s head with his fingers. Wally closed his eyes and lifted his head; Coulson could have sworn the dog was smiling in pleasure. Sighing heavily, Wally dropped his head onto the bedspread, apparently not ready to completely wake up yet. He squinted at Coulson before closing his eyes completely, comfortably snuggled between the two warm bodies.  
  
Coulson blinked a few times, feeling a little overcome by the domesticity of the scene. That was _Daisy_ within arms reach of him. This little white blob of fur and pudge was - dare he think it - _their_ dog; at least Daisy had made it seem that way.  
  
Coulson carefully extricated himself from the sheets, afraid that he was going to wake her up with his frantic heartbeat. He watched as Daisy mumbled incoherently, stretching her limbs a little. Wally huffed and rolled over her outstretched arm, but she didn’t respond. Coulson relaxed again as he observed them.  
  
“Huh,” He smirked, thinking of retribution for the day before, and he tiptoed into the living room to find her camera.  
  
Reentering the bedroom with camera in hand, Coulson figured the noise of it would wake her up, so he crouched at the side of the bed and carefully lined up the lens, knowing he would only get one good shot like this.  
  
Sure enough, at the snap of the machine her brow furrowed deeply. Her nose even scrunched up a little, which Coulson found incredibly endearing. Had Daisy made that expression before? He hadn’t noticed. Four years, and he’d missed so much. He shook his head at himself.  
  
“Mmph.” Daisy grumbled, refusing to open her eyes. She was definitely frowning, though; she knew that he’d taken a picture of her.  
  
Wally was peeking at him through hooded eyes as Coulson set the photo on the side table to let it develop.  
  
“What time ’s it?” Daisy mumbled, and Coulson couldn’t help but smile at her. “Better not have bed head in that picture.”  
  
“You’re very grumbly in the mornings.” Coulson observed, speaking lowly.  
  
“Only when my personal heat pillow has disappeared,” Daisy retorted, peeking one eye open at him. His smile widened when they made eye contact, because she was overwhelmingly beautiful in the early morning light, and he was a dork. Slowly, she opened her other eye as well.  
  
“Good morning.” Coulson said, and her lips curved into a smile. Only half-thinking about it, Coulson pulled the viewfinder back up toward his eye, taking another picture of her. This one was even better, in his opinion.  
  
“Come here, Andy Warhol,” Daisy wiggled her fingers at him - the hand that was currently half-trapped beneath Wally - and Coulson put the new photo and camera onto the table next to the other photo. “Good morning,” She told him when he’d slid back into bed, propping his head up on his hand again as he pet Wally with his other hand.  
  
They just gazed at one another, until Daisy’s eyes eventually drifted shut again, and a minute later Coulson was asleep as well.  
  
The next time he awoke, there was significantly more sunlight streaming through the window, and he was lying on his back, and Daisy was sprawled halfway over him. Wally had been delegated back to the end of the bed.  
  
“Daisy,” Coulson whispered, a little concerned about the hour. He had no idea where his phone was, either - no doubt the others have been trying to get a hold of him, though. “Daisy, wake up,” He shook her shoulder lightly.  
  
“What time is it?” She asked immediately, pushing herself up with a hand on his chest.  
  
“Oof, I don’t know,” Coulson grunted, and she shifted her weight onto the bed.  
  
“Sorry,” She apologized, sliding her leg off of his as well and flopping onto her back. “It’s been _ages_ since I’ve slept in.”  
  
“Yeah.” Coulson agreed, staring up at the ceiling. If he actually got up, that would mean he would have to get dressed, and eventually leave.  
  
“Sorry I half smothered you in your sleep,” Daisy half-laughed, brushing her fingers through her hair, and Coulson raised his eyebrow at her.  
  
“You didn’t,” He assured her. Remembering the photos he’d taken earlier, he reached over to the bedside table and picked them up, holding them up above him so he could look at them without lifting his head from the pillow.  
  
“Do I have bed head?” Daisy asked, scooting in close and tilting her head so she could see them too.  
  
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Coulson observed, and then pressed his lips together, not exactly meaning to have said that out loud. He slowly turned his head to look at her, but she still had the side of her head against his shoulder. He could see that she was smiling, but she didn’t say anything. “I mean it.” Coulson admitted, and she sighed.  
  
“I know.” She whispered, sounding sad about it.  
  
“Why,” Coulson frowned, and she took the photo from him and rolled over on top of him, tossing the photo back onto the table as she straddled him.  
  
“I don’t want you to leave,” She sighed, settling her weight over him. He blinked at her, his hands hesitantly landing at her waist, and he took in the determined spark in her eyes.  
  
“You could always hold me hostage for a couple more days,” Coulson replied slowly, breathing carefully. He was starting to feel anxious again, and tried not to make it obvious to Daisy.  
  
“What about the Director? Talbot?” Daisy wondered. “There’s so much to do…”  
  
“There will always be so much to do, Daisy.” Coulson told her. “If you don’t take a break, you won’t be much help to anyone.”  
  
“What if I don’t want to take a break?” She challenged, lightly sliding her body along his. He held his breath. “What if I want to hold you hostage for a couple more days and do nothing but have sex with you?”  
  
“I,” Coulson laughed nervously, “What about Cal?” Daisy raised her eyebrow at him.  
  
“What about Cal?” She repeated. “He thinks you’re my boyfriend. I’m pretty sure it would not phase him in the slightest if he only saw us at mealtimes.”  
  
“Daisy,” Coulson murmured, appalled and aroused all at once. She grinned down at him.  
  
“The most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?” She wondered. He looked embarrassed, but nodded a little, knowing she didn’t quite believe him. “What about Lola?”  
  
“I think she understands,” Coulson breathed out, slipping his hands beneath her tank top. She smiled again, and kissed him carefully. He tried returning the kiss, but his chest still felt tight, and she must’ve been able to tell, somehow.  
  
“Are you okay?” She asked, sitting up, looking at him with concern. “We don’t have to _literally_ do nothing but have sex - I mean, I do know how the human body works, and, you know, I’ve got no expectations anyway - ”  
  
“What,” Coulson raised his eyebrow, “I’m not that old,”  
  
“That’s not what I meant,” Daisy hurriedly added, “I mean, I just, if you want to wait a little longer, I understand,”  
  
“I’ve waited too long, already, Daisy.” Coulson told her, reaffirming his grip on her waist. “That’s not why I’m nervous.”  
  
“Oh.” She watched him for a moment, then brushed her hair behind her ear. It was more habit than anything else; her hair was too short for the gesture to have much effect.  
  
“Have you ever…” Coulson tried to find the words he wanted. “Have you ever loved someone so much, that you were afraid to admit it? To show it? Because you don’t know any words or actions that would be _enough_ to equal what you feel? That it would feel diminished somehow, just because your grasp on the English language was insufficient?”  
  
“Coulson,”  
  
“Phil.”  
  
“Phil.” Daisy repeated, and he smiled. She smiled in response, leaning back down so she could press her palms against his jaw. “I don’t think you need to worry about any of that.” She promised him, stroking her thumbs against his skin before kissing him again. “You compared me to Lola, a year or two ago,” She whispered against his lips, “You didn’t need to say anything else after that.”  
  
“I’m such a dork,” Coulson complained, a little ashamed, but he didn’t stop kissing her.  
  
“Yeah, but,” she rolled her hips provocatively, “I love that about you.” He moaned quietly and ran his hands further up her back, holding her tightly against him as he tilted his head so he could kiss her more deeply.  
  
“Wuf,” Wally barked, and Coulson froze, which in turn made Daisy freeze.  
  
“What?” She whispered, her eyes on his mouth. He lifted his head up to peer over her shoulder, and saw Wally sitting at their feet, staring at them.  
  
“Uh…” He cleared his throat, and Daisy turned back to see what he was looking at. Then she started laughing, hard enough that her body bounced a little against his, and he grunted, pressing his fingers against her skin.  
  
“C'mon, Wally. Time for you to hang out in the living room for a bit,” Daisy crooned, climbing off of Coulson and picking up the dog. He licked her face as she carried him toward the door, and Coulson tried not to frown at the loss of her warmth. After she carefully let him hop to the floor and she closed the door again, she turned around to face Coulson, leaning against it. He pushed himself up onto his elbow, raising an eyebrow at her.  
  
“What?” He asked. She bit her lip, and then gave him a coy look, and then lifted her tank up over her head, letting it drop to the floor. His lips parted as he stared at her. “Come here,” He managed, swallowing hard, holding his other hand out toward her. She approached the bed, taking his hand, climbing back over him.


	10. Chapter 10

 

 

* * *

"Would you care to account for where you’ve been the past week?” May demanded, her arms folded across her chest.  
  
Coulson sat calmly across from her, his hands folded together atop the table. He even had a small smile on his face, though he tried his best to keep that hidden.  
  
“You went completely dark. You _shot_ your partner. And according to Simmons, it looked like you went _willingly_.”  
  
“I tranquilized him with an Icer,” Coulson corrected, and she pursed her lips at him. “And you know Daisy - there was no way she would have let me contact any of you. She’s the one who set up our tracking systems - she knows how well they work.”  
  
“Daisy.” May repeated, shaking her head, slapping the file closed on her desk. “You’re desk bound, Coulson, until further notice.”  
  
“What!” Coulson blurted, leaning forward in his chair. May looked back up at him sharply, her expression silencing whatever argument he’d been forming.  
  
“You are a mess, Phil. You’ve been a mess ever since she was swayed by Hive.” Coulson felt his blood run cold at the mention of the bastard, but May plowed on, “I never liked the idea of having you on point for this mission, and as much as you’ve gotten Mack to lie for you, I _know_ you.” She shook her head at him. “This little stunt was your nail on the coffin.”  
  
“I _had_ to stun him, May; Daisy didn’t want to use her powers against him and she also didn’t want him following - ”  
  
“Cut it, Phil.” May interrupted. “I highly doubt she forced you to do anything. Did she tell you anything? Give you any hint as to what she’s planning?” Coulson blinked at her. “Why did she ‘kidnap’ you in the first place? Did she get information out of you about us?”  
  
“May.” Coulson gave her a look. “You _do_ know how many times I’ve been interrogated.”  
  
“Yeah, but you were never before in love with the interrogator.” May retorted, and Coulson pursed his lips.  
  
“I didn’t tell her anything about what we were doing,” Coulson sighed. He couldn’t argue against her words, because as she said before, she knows him. “Nothing more than what she already knows, anyway.”  
  
“So why did she kidnap you?” May asked again. Coulson shrugged, and May’s frown deepened. “Dammit, Phil,”  
  
“She showed me a map.” Coulson eventually said.  
  
He and Daisy may not have spent the _entire_ week having sex, but there had still been very little work going on. He truly didn’t have much to tell May. Not anything she wanted to hear, anyway.  
  
“A map of what?” May asked, perking up a little.  
  
“She has a map like ours, tracking Inhumans. Except she has a heck of a lot more.”  
  
“How? Did she share any of this with you? If she knows of even more than our team, then there’s no way she’s working on her own.” May narrowed her eyes. “Are you working with her?”  
  
“ _No_ May, I’m not working with her. And she didn’t tell me everything, for obvious reasons.” Coulson hesitated, and May raised her eyebrow slightly. “That being said, she gave me some names.”  
  
“Names of who? Watchdogs?”  
  
“Inhumans. Nasty ones.” She looked surprised at this information. “She doesn’t have the facilities to contain them, and she’s worried they’ll just cause harm to local law enforcement.” May was silent for a while as she thought this over.  
  
“So how will she notify us? Drop them off by our doorstep?” She asked, slightly sarcastic.   
  
“I’m sure she’s not yet willing to come back in,”  
  
“No,” Coulson shook his head, “but she’ll notify me. Give me the location, and any details about their powers that will keep my team safe and help us be able to contain the Inhuman safely as well.”  
  
“Talbot’s going to shit himself,” May sighed, getting to her feet, and Coulson took that as a sign that this meeting was over, and stood as well. He straightened his jacket.  
  
“We’re bringing in the big bad Inhumans,” Coulson mocked, “it’s like Christmas for him.”  
  
“Yes, but I think it will soon become obvious that we’re working with _Quake_ , indirectly or not. Just what Talbot wants - the media exclaiming about the government working along with a known, morally-dubious Inhuman.”  
  
“Daisy’s morals are more straightforward than mine or yours!” Coulson argued, knowing that wasn’t May’s point, that she’d only been repeating the words the public had been using, and May raised her eyebrow at him.  
  
“Do you have an established line of communication with her?” May sighed, wanting to get back to work.  
  
“Not exactly.” Coulson admitted. “Not yet,” He added quickly when May looked frustrated. “She’s working on something so she can send me information without having to bypass all of the security on base, but that also protects _her_.”  
  
“I’m sure she’ll figure it out.” May commented wryly, though Coulson picked up on her proud tone, and he smiled a little. She pursed her lips in annoyance.  
  
“Dismissed.” She rolled her eyes, and Coulson nodded and headed toward the door.  
  
“Um, Phil?” May’s sudden change in tone made him pause, and he turned back round to face her. She was looking down at the chair he’d been sitting in. “You…dropped something.”  
  
He inwardly cringed when he saw the photo lying face up on his chair. It must’ve fallen out of his pocket when he’d straightened his coat, or something. Luckily, it wasn’t anything too damning; just a photo of Wally. Granted, if May could read the note Daisy had written at the bottom of it….  
  
“Who’s Wally?” May asked, still speaking in that weird tone, and Coulson clenched his jaw as he felt his ears grow warm from embarrassment. He quickly snatched up the photo and tucked it back inside of his pocket.  
  
“Um, the dog. I mean, that picture. Daisy’s dog.” Coulson stumbled, and May blinked at him. He stared back, waiting for her to make a comment about the rest of Daisy’s note. He shifted his weight, winced slightly, and then looked away from May. “He’s our dog.” He added more quietly.  
  
May sighed again, heavily.  
  
“Phil.”  
  
“Yeah, okay,” Coulson nodded, and left the room quickly.  
  
When he got back to his office, Elena was perusing his bookshelves, waiting for him.  
  
“Hola, Señior Sismo.”  
  
Coulson paused just inside the doorway, and frowned at her.  
  
“You _do_ know that I speak Spanish, right?” He asked her, and she smiled widely, looking at him sideways in an innocent manner.  
  
“This is from Daisy,” She informed him, suddenly all business, handing over a small envelope that had been folded in half. “Don’t worry, I was - ciudad- ah, careful, with fotografía.”  
  
Coulson raised his eyebrow as he slowly accepted the envelope from her, unfolding it and peering inside. Just as she mentioned, there was a photo inside, along with a handwritten note. He pulled out the picture first, blurting out a laugh and then blushing before quickly slipping it into his pocket. He glanced up at Elena, and she was smirking at him again.  
  
“I’ve already seen it.” She shrugged, and Coulson pressed his lips together, knowing it would be no use to fuss at her. He was just grateful she had made the delivery for Daisy. Elena then frowned slightly, turning her head to the side as she looked at Coulson. “You are stronger than you look,” She commented.  
  
“Well, I’m no Mack,” Coulson replied, walking around behind his desk as he pulled the note out of the envelope.  
  
“That is true.” Elena agreed vehemently, and Coulson hesitated for just a second, glancing up at her before focusing back on Daisy’s note. “No offense, Boss.”  
  
“None taken,” Coulson assured her, a bit distracted now. “I’m not really your boss, anymore,” He reminded her, “I’m your partner.”  
  
“Team leader, like Daisy. Boss.” Elena shrugged, unfazed, and he knew that she was smiling even though he hadn’t looked up from Daisy’s handwriting yet. “Come get me when you want to reply.” She told him, and then she was gone before he could ask where she would be.  
  
“Mack,” Coulson muttered to himself, “where else?” He chuckled quietly, happy for the both of them, but his attention still mostly focused on the paper in his hands.  
  
 _Coulson, as you may or may not have guessed by now, Elena has agreed to be our go-between for communication. She's the only one who can get in and out of both of our bases without being followed, and I trust her. (Though, she will probably look at whatever photos I happen to send you, or vice versa, so keep that in mind.) ;) Consider this a test run. Pun intended? Sorry, Elena - you know I love you and am extremely thankful you're doing this for me. Anyway, AC, send me something back. Then we can start getting to work._  
  
Coulson smiled to himself, knowing it was dorky how enthused he was about this whole thing - especially that he now could send her photos as well. So he did, and on his first one he wrote a note in honor of her first few she’d sent him - song lyrics.


End file.
